


Another Day At Mr. B's

by Illusions_and_reality, TheHotdagaIsTrueArt



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Hotdaga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, M/M, but i love these funky little food stuffs, esp between goondis and soup, i love maizey but shes gonna suffer, im honestly taking this very seriously, kind of a superstore au, like too seriously probably, the romance is later, they work at a store
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2019-07-28 20:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusions_and_reality/pseuds/Illusions_and_reality, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHotdagaIsTrueArt/pseuds/TheHotdagaIsTrueArt
Summary: Maizey has worked at the superstore Mr. B's for 12 years. She's seen employees come and go, she's dealt with nearly every customer service mishap there could be, and she has no meaning to her life. But no matter what happens, there's always another day at Mr. B's.





	1. An Average Day for Maizey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm writing a multi-chapter fic! If there's ever warnings for a chapter I'll put 'em here. Enjoy the show!

Maizey would really like to rip that stupid goddamn bow off of Pam’s head. Maybe she’d grab some hair with it. Actually, she would really like to punch Pam in the face. Yeah, punching Pam in the face would really make Maizey’s day. It would also most likely get Maizey fired, which she quite literally could not afford. But still, a girl could dream. It wasn’t that Pam had done anything recently to cause Maizey to want to punch her, she had just been herself. If Maizey didn’t want to punch Pam, then who was she? 

A voice broke through her thoughts. “Psst, Maizey,” Gene elbowed her in the side. 

“What?” Maizey asked quietly. Pam was currently giving one of her pre-opening pep talks. They did not inspire much pep. 

“You have that “I want to punch Pam” look on your face,” Gene replied in a loud whisper. 

“Yeah, probably because I want to punch Pam,” Maizey whispered back. 

“Maizey,” Pam called Maizey’s attention back to the front of the break room. The look on Pam’s face made her think Pam had called her name several times before she’d noticed. 

“Yeah?” Maybe Pam had heard her. Oh, well. If this was how she lost her job, she would at least get to punch Pam on the way out. 

“I’m done. You can say what you need to, give everyone their assignments, we open in 5.” Pam left, most likely to go to her own office, and Maizey took her place at the front of the room. 

“Alright guys,” She looked down at her clipboard and then back up, “A few things I need to mention, first,” She turned to look at a blue-haired teenager who was staring blankly at the wall. “Garce, stop telling people that our mascot is a ‘Plupple’ and when people ask you what the hell a plupple is, stop saying that it’s ‘like a peach but sexier’. I’ve gotten more complaints about it than I want to count. Our mascot is a Blue Peach. None of us know why, but that’s how things are,”

“Yeah, okay,” Garce replied.

“So you’ll stop?” Maizey asked.

Garce only met her gaze for a few moments then turned back to look at the wall. 

“Okay, good enough. Steven,” She shifted to look at the taller man. “Stop replacing CDs in the media section with the Risky Fixin’s album. I love Sweet Gene and the Risky Fixin’s too, but it’s hard to defend it when a middle-aged woman is screaming at me because her Josh Groban CD didn’t contain music by Josh Groban. Just put it in with the other CD instead of replacing it,” 

Steven grunted in response. 

“Good enough. Alright, everyone knows what they’re doing, right? Cool, let’s go.” Maizey dropped her clipboard on a table and headed out to the store. She unlocked the front doors and sighed. Another day at Mr. B’s -The Smart Place to Shop, Where Everyone is Family - It used to be called Little Mr. B’s but then the chain became one of the most popular superstores in the midwest. There were hundreds now. 

Shoppers trickled in, and Maizey moved towards the back of the store where she wouldn’t immediately be singled out to help one of their customers. 

“Oh, hey, Maizey,” It was Garce, at his side was a shorter green-haired teenager, Smeech. Maizey was pretty sure that wasn’t a real name. 

“Hey Garce,” She replied. “Hey Smeech. What’s up?” 

Smeech raised a hand in greeting. “Boss Lady is looking for you,” Garce replied. “She has something to give you,”

“Maybe it’s a raise,” Maizey mumbled. “Thanks, Garce.” 

“Oh, yeah, no problem,” He and Smeech wandered off, hopefully to do their jobs, but Maizey doubted it. 

Maizey headed back to the store manager’s office and knocked on the partly open door before pushing it the rest of the way open. “Garce said you were looking for me?” 

Pam looked up from paperwork she was filling out. “Maizey. Your new name tag is here,” She held out a small box and Maizey took it. 

She opened the box, then sighed, taking out the name tag. 

“What is it this time?” Pam asked, she actually seemed vaguely interested, probably because it involved Maizey suffering. 

Maizey held up the name tag. “M-A-E-Z-E-E.” She spelled out loud. 

“See Mike about getting a new one,” Pam, obviously holding back laughter, replied.

“Yeah, I will,” Maizey left, removing her current name tag, which read  _ Maysie _ , and replacing it with the newest one. At least people would pronounce the z sound now. She headed out to find Mike, the store’s assistant manager. He was older than Maizey by at least 10 years, British, and always wore a hat. Besides that, he was a nice enough guy. Most of what she knew about him came from Gene, who was much more extroverted and seemed to know everyone. Gene was the only person Maizey knew who didn’t hate working customer service. 

She found Mike in the automotive section. “Hey Mike,” 

“Maizey,” Mike greeted, “How are you doing?”

Maizey tapped her name tag in lieu of a response. 

“I see,” Mike nodded. “I’ll see about getting you a new one, but you’ll have to wait.” The store had a rule that employees could only request one new name badge every two months. 

Maizey sighed. “I feel like I should stop trying at this point, it’s close enough,” 

“It doesn’t hurt to try, if you don’t try, you will never succeed,” Mike replied, leaning down to inspect the air fresheners. Maizey thought that was a little much for a name tag. 

“I thought you only had one air freshener you ever used,” Maizey remarked. Mike was very particular about his car, an old Volkswagen Bus from sometime in the 90’s, fondly named Minestrone. 

“It’s been discontinued, I have to find something of the same quality to replace it,” Mike shook his head at the tragedy of his discontinued air freshener. 

“If you want quality you aren’t going to find it at Mr. B’s,” Maizey pointed out. “I should probably go do my actual job. See you around, Mike,”

Mike hummed a response, continuing to examine and analyze the air fresheners. 

Maizey’s day continued as most of her days did. She helped customers here and there, took a lunch break with Gene who liked to ask her opinion of new song lyrics, stopped Smeech and Garce from doing something dangerous but well-meaning (which today was climbing the shelves to reach something for a very short woman), and wondered what she wanted to eat for dinner. 

At the end of the day crew’s shift, Pam called them all into the break room once more for an announcement. 

“I think everyone here knows what today is,” She began. Maizey still wanted to punch her, but the urge was muted. “It’s time to give out the Employee of the Month award,” 

The room was filled with tired sighs. Garce looked uncomfortable. 

“This award goes to the Employee who has shown the most initiative as well as been helpful and responsible, you know the rest. This month that employee is Garce Jobson,” A few people halfheartedly clapped. Pam put up the picture of Garce on the “Employee of the Month” wall next to 8 other pictures of Garce. Garce was the son of the regional manager, Joblet, who made sure that his son was the Employee of the Month every month since Garce was hired. No one cared much, the title didn’t come with anything but the picture.  Garce was staring at his feet. 

“Congratulations, Garce,” Pam said. “That’s all, you people can go,” 

Maizey made her way to her car, a very old sudan, and opened the passenger door. She had to climb over the center console to get to the driver’s side since that door didn’t work. The car started with an unfortunate grumbling sound and Maizey drove home. She had 14 hours before she had to return to work. 14 hours before another day at Mr. B's. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are! I'm gonna try to update at least every other week, although it might be more often because I'm on a roll right now. Let me know what you think!


	2. So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Maizey, and she and Mike have a conversation. Plus, some news from Gene!

**Chapter 2**

Maizey leaned tiredly against the customer service counter, mentally calculating the exact time - down to the second - before she could sprint out the doors. Well, probably not sprint, but walk quickly. God, she was tired. She could feel Gene looking at her, probably wondering if she was okay, but didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she straightened up with a sigh and stretched. 

“So,” Gene said.

Maizey looked over at him. “So?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. 

“So I think Pam’s going to tell you soon, but…” He paused for effect. “My sister just got hired here!” Gene was obviously excited by the prospect of working with his sister. 

“Really? That’s great,” Maizey replied, trying to be excited for him. “She’s uhh… Gebra, right?” Maizey had never met Gebra, but Gene talked about his older sister all the time. 

“Yup! She had a job at a florist in the next town over, but the shop closed so she needed a new job, and we have that opening since Pauline left to work at that burger place, so I told Gebra she should apply, and she did!” Gene was practically bouncing at this point.

Maizey wanted to make a comment about how Gene must actually hate his sister to bring her to work at Mr. B’s, but she didn’t want to ruin his good mood. “That’s great Gene, I can’t wait to meet her,” 

Gene smiled widely at Maizey, then turned to help an approaching customer. Maizey took that as her cue to leave. She wandered towards the back of the store to start restocking shelves. Grabbing a bottle of aspirin on her way - she’d pay for it before she left - to help with the headache that had been growing throughout the day. She dry swallowed two pills and rubbed her temples. 

It was days like this that she let herself think about what she wanted to do before she got a job at Mr. B’s. Not that she had ever really had a plan, but Maizey liked to imagine there was something else she could have done with her life.  Something besides almost having Associate’s Degree in Business before dropping out of community college. She really should go back at some point, but it was just more work. And it costs money, something she was low on. She was fine here, she had friends, sorta, and she had a roof over her head, even if it was a studio apartment that, more often than not, had something vital in disrepair. She was fine.

“I’m fine,” She mumbled to herself, filling a cart with bread to restock the grocery section. What would she be doing if she had finished that degree? 

“I’m fine,” She repeated when she had to clean up after a child who had poured out several jars of spaghetti sauce while left unattended.  Would she be happier? 

“I’m fine,” She repeated once again, this time more forcefully, when Pam told her that she needed to be more productive, like Maizey wasn’t doing her own job and some of Pam’s. Would she be Store Manager instead of Pam with that degree? Or even higher up? 

Maizey repeated the words until it was finally time to clock out, and tried to ignore the thoughts about what she might’ve done. 

When Maizey stepped out of the store, it was dark and pouring rain. She shivered, cursing herself for not bringing a jacket.  She sloshed through the parking lot to her car, thoroughly soaking her sneakers. She climbed in, soaking the passenger side, and turned the key. There was the usual grumbling sound, but it was accompanied by a sound horribly similar to a cough, and the car didn’t start. Maizey tried again, this time there was no response from the car. Several more tries with the same result. 

Maizey climbed back over the center console and pulled open the hood, using her phone flashlight to see what might be wrong. She stared down at the inside of the car, frustration tinged with anxiety rising in her chest. Rain soaked through her shirt and plastered her bangs to her face. It was cold. She needed to go home. She needed to get the hell out of Mr. B’s parking lot, and go home, and binge some trashy TV show so she could pull herself together and make it through the next day. She blinked, trying not to give in to the urge to cry.

“Maizey?” A voice startled her out of her spiraling thoughts. She turned around to see Mike approaching her. 

“Oh, hey,” She hoped she sounded nonchalant and not like she was about to scream. 

“Is your car not working?” He asked, joining her to inspect the car. 

“It’s actually fine, I just felt like getting more familiar with the inner working of a 23-year-old car. The rain is just an added bonus,” She was being rude, Maizey was well aware of that, but right now she didn’t care.

Mike ignored her comment. “I might be able to help you when it’s light out and not raining so hard. I can give you a ride home tonight, though.” 

“Really? You don’t have to, Mike,” Maizey was quick to reassure him. 

“I don’t mind. Come on,” He headed for the Minestrone, and after closing the hood of her own car, Maizey followed. 

She slid into the passenger’s side and Mike started the car, turning on the heat and pointing the vents towards Maizey, who was soaked. She mumbled a thank you, gave him her address. 

They drove in silence for several minutes before Mike spoke. “Maizey, you know…” He trailed off, then started again. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m fine,” She replied, looking down at her hands. 

“Are you sure?” He glanced over, then back at the road. 

“Yeah, yeah, everything is cool,” She stared through the window, not really seeing anything, just avoiding looking at Mike. 

“Well, if everything ever isn’t “cool”, you can talk to me.” Mike was also avoiding looking at Maizey. 

Maizey said nothing. It was silent for several minutes before Mike spoke again. “Maizey, I’ve known you for almost 6 years, and I consider you a friend,” He paused. 

“I consider you a friend too, Mike,” Maizey said uncertainly. 

“But I don’t know anything about you, and I, uh, worry about you sometimes,” Mike continued, frowning slightly. It was odd to see Mike out of his depth, he was usually so sure of himself.  

“It’s not like you’ve ever been particularly forthcoming,” Maizey defended, brows furrowed. 

“That’s true,” Mike conceded. “And I’m sorry for that, I wish I had tried harder to get to know you earlier,” They pulled up in front of Maizey’s apartment building and Mike parked, then turned to look at Maizey. “Maizey I just want you to know that I am here if… if anything happens,” He looked slightly uncomfortable with expressing his emotions.  

“Thanks,” It came out harsher than Maizey had intended, but she was so damn tired. “But I’ve managed fine on my own so far,” 

“I know, but it doesn’t mean that you have to do everything alone,” Mike replied. “Maizey, I just want you to know I’m here-”

“Yeah, got it. Appreciate the sentiment, but I’m fine.” Something like anger was filling Maizey, and she didn’t quite understand why. 

“I just worry-”

“Well, you don’t have to!” She climbed out of the van. “I’m fine.” She closed the door with more force than intended. “Thanks for the ride.” She turned on her heel and stormed inside to her apartment. 

Only seconds after she heard Mike drive away, Maizey’s anger dissipated and she was left feeling empty and exhausted. She had been an asshole to a man she respected and admired because he cared about her and she didn’t know how to handle that. 

“God, I’m so stupid,” She said it without much emotion. She took off her shoes, then froze when she heard something moving in the apartment. Picking up the bat she kept by her door, she crept into the apartment, then turned on the main light. 

“Oh, you’ve decided to show up,” Maizey dropped the bat onto the carpeted floor with a thud. “Am I finally good enough for you?” 

“Mrow?” replied the black and white cat sitting on her kitchen counter.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll get you some dinner,” Maizey reached into the cabinet for a can of cat food. “It’s not the good stuff, I’m not exactly making bank right now,” 

“Meow,” The cat had been coming to Maizey’s apartment every so often for the last four years. She refused to name him because she knew he wasn’t really her cat. But still, she fed him and had a cat bed and cat toys so that when he chose to drop by he would be comfortable. 

“I think you might be my best friend right now,” Maizey told The Cat, setting a plate of cat food in front of him. “And I don’t even know your name.” 

She crossed to her fridge and pulled it open. There wasn’t much to see, just some soda, a single apple, and a half-empty jug of milk. She grabbed the milk and rooted through her cupboards for some cereal. She opened the milk, frowned, sniffed it, and gagged. “Guess I’ll be eating dry cereal,” She mumbled. The Cat looked up at her, then returned to his food. 

Maizey sat down on the counter next to The Cat and sighed. “I think I might be ruining my own life,” She shoved a handful of stale Honey Bunches of Oats (With Almonds!) into her mouth. The Cat did not respond. “Yeah, I know, I’ve been doing that for a long time.” 

“Do you think it’ll get any better, cat?” She asked around another mouthful of cereal. Once again, The Cat did not respond, instead, he made his way to Maizey’s window, which never closed quite right, and slipped out. 

“Oh,” Maizey tried not to feel disappointed. He was a cat, he didn’t mean anything by it. “Guess it’s just me, then.” Maybe she should text Mike. Apologize for being rude. But she doubted that Mike wanted to hear from her. Instead, she put away the cereal and slipped past the curtain that separated her bed from the rest of the studio apartment. She changed into a hoodie and climbed into bed. She wasn’t able to fall asleep for hours. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie a new chapter already! Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know if I can do better with any characterization or writing! 
> 
> alternate chapter summary  
> mike: i care about you because you are my friend
> 
> maizey: *throws herself out of the car*
> 
> mike: never trying to show emotions again, 0/10 experience


	3. Gebra's First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gebra start's working at Mr. B's. Also, there's a visitor in the break room!

Maizey awoke to her phone alarm blaring Pocketful of Sunshine. She groaned and turned it off. Somehow she felt worse now than she had last night. She stumbled out of bed and turned on her shower, gathering clothes to wear while she waited for it to heat up. And then kept waiting for it to heat up. After five minutes she guessed that the water heater wasn’t working, which was great, and took a freezing cold shower. It was October for God’s sake, how could her building just not have hot water. 

Shivering she stepped out and shook out her towel, biting back a yelp when a spider fell off of it and scuttled under the cabinet. Maizey dried off, then leaned against the sink, making eye contact with her reflection. She looked awful. Dark circles under her eyes made her look half dead. Her hair was growing out, the roots were her normal dark brown and the rest was the artificial green she had used for the last five years. She needed to redye it when she had a chance. Maizey sighed and grabbed a brush, yanking it the best she could through her thick hair, then pulling it the best she could into a bun. She’d made the decision not to wash it, seeing as the water was freezing, but she wouldn’t be able to wait too much longer. 

Maizey walked out into her kitchen while pulling on a yellow turtleneck sweater. She shivered again, and wondered if the heat in the building was working at all. She checked the clock and cursed, she had to run since she would have to take the bus. Lacing up her sneakers as quickly as possible, she mentally prepared herself for the day ahead. She would have to say something to Mike, maybe buy him a coffee. Did she have money to do that? Her next paycheck was late. Shaking her head, she grabbed her bag and left the apartment. 

Maizey ran down the dark road to the bus stop, her breath clouding in the cold air. Someone driving by honked and yelled something, but she ignored him. She got to the bus stop at the same time as the bus and climbed on, gasping for air. She dropped down into a seat, already exhausted. She watched her neighborhood pass by as the bus picked up speed, then slumped back in her seat. She wondered what would happen if she just got off the bus early and went… somewhere. Or stayed on until the end of the line, and hopped on to the next bus out of this city. She could start a new life, change her name, dye her hair, and never turn back. 

Maizey entertained that fantasy until the bus pulled up to the stop closest to Mr. B’s. She stood, pushing aside thoughts of a new life (that she definitely could not afford), and exited the bus, tripping down the last step, but catching herself. She straightened, readjusted her bag strap on her shoulder, and started walking. A gust of wind made Maizey shiver, and she realized she had once again forgotten a jacket. She mumbled a curse and jogged the last minute into the store.

She was early, but if she had taken the next bus, she would have been late. Maizey had thought that she would be the only one there, but Pam was in the breakroom when she went in to get coffee. Not only was Pam in the breakroom, Pam was standing on the break room counter. They both froze for a moment when they saw each other, neither expecting to have company. 

“What are you doing?” Maizey asked, half wanting to just turn around and leave. 

Pam looked uncomfortable. “I saw something in the corner of the room and it… startled me. That’s all.” 

Maizey crossed to the corner of the room that Pam was talking about while Pam climbed down from the counter. “Ah,” Maizey said. There was a rat chewing on a cracker someone had dropped at some point. 

Pam, now behind Maizey, made an odd noise that was between a yelp and a gasp. 

Maizey grabbed one of the janitorial buckets kept in the break room and carefully dropped it over the rat. There was a small squeak, but the rat didn’t put up much of a fight. She looked at Pam. “Do you have cardboard or something?” 

Pam looked appalled. “It’s not a bug, you can’t just trap it and let it go!” 

“Watch me.” Maizey replied, spotting an old sale sign leaning against the counter. She slid it under the bucket slowly, listening as the rat scrambled on top of it. She lifted the whole thing up and raised an eyebrow at Pam. “Are you going to get the door or do you just want me to drop this whole thing?” 

Pam got the door. 

Maizey walked out to the grassy area at the edge of the parking lot, deciding that it would be the best spot to let the rat go. Pam stood about 10 feet back. Before Maizey could let the rat out, a voice interrupted her. 

“Hey Maizey!” It was Gene. “What do you have there?” 

Maizey turned to look at him. “A rat, it’s-” Maizey stopped. Next to Gene was the prettiest woman she had ever seen in her life. And she was smiling at Maizey. Now, Maizey wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve that smile, but she decided then and there that all she wanted in her life was for this woman to smile. And if Maizey was the reason she smiled, well, all the better.

“Oh, this is Gebra, my sister!” Gene introduced, grinning as brightly as he always did. 

“Hi!” Gebra said brightly. 

“Uhuh,” Maizey replied eloquently. 

“So a rat, huh?” Gene asked, standing next to Maizey. 

Maizey broke out of her pretty girl induced stupor. “Uh, yeah, um, it was in the break room,” 

“It’s nice that you didn’t kill it,” Gebra said, standing at Maizey’s other side. “Are you letting it go?” Maizey decided she would never kill anything again, not even a mosquito. 

“Um, yeah, yeah I didn’t want to hurt it,” Maizey kept her gaze on the rat bucket. If she looked at Gebra again she might faint. 

“It’ll just come back.” Pam interjected, looking peeved. “You should just kill it.” 

Maizey took a few steps forward from where she was standing, turned to make eye contact with Pam, and let the rat go. It scurried under one of the bushes. “Oh no, now it’s gone. Can’t kill it,” She deadpanned. 

Pam grumbled something and went back into the store. 

Maizey turned back to Gene and Gebra. “I’m Maizey, by the way,” She smiled hesitantly at Gebra. 

“Gene’s told me a lot about you! Apparently you’re the Risky Fixin’s #1 fan?” She phrased it like a question, like she knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from Maizey. 

“Uh, yeah, I mean, I have all of their merch,” Maizey replied. 

Gebra’s smile brightened even more, if that was possible. “I keep telling Gene that they could totally win awards one day!” 

“Aw, you guys are so sweet,” Gene was also smiling, and Maizey was starting to smile, too. 

Despite how her morning had started, it seemed like everything might be fine. Then, the Minestrone pulled into the parking lot. Maizey stopped smiling. “Hey Gene, can you take this in, I need to talk to Mike,” She held out the bucket and the sign. 

Gene took them and frowned. “Is everything good?” 

“I hope so,” Maizey made her way to Minestrone, her hands were kind of sweaty. 

Mike climbed out of the van, pausing when he saw her. “Oh, Maizey,” 

“Hey Mike, uh,” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, um, about last night. You were just being, uh, being a nice person and I was an asshole.” 

Mike looked surprised. “It’s alright Maizey. We all have bad days.” 

She nodded, and they stood uncomfortably for a moment. 

“We should-”

“I can-” They both spoke at the same time. 

“Sorry, go ahead,” Maizey prompted. 

“I can look at your car during our lunch break, but the store opens soon.”

“Oh, thank you,” Maizey smiled uncertainly at Mike, and he returned the gesture. 

Maizey and Mike were the last two in the break room. Pam had already finished her daily pep talk, and frowned at the two of them when they came in. Maizey took her place at the front of the room. 

“Okay guys,” She picked up her clipboard off of the table. “First, we have a new employee. This is Gebra,” She motioned to Gebra. “So don’t be assholes to her. I’d, um, we’d prefer that she stick around.” She glanced down at the clipboard. “Garce, you’re still calling our mascot a plupple.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I am,” Garce replied.

Maizey sighed. “I say this every day you’re here,”

“Yeah,” Garce agreed. 

Maizey considered that for a moment, then shrugged. “We open in a few minutes, go get set up. Gebra, stick around for a second.” 

The others filed out and Gebra joined Maizey. “I’m the floor supervisor, so if you have any issues while you’re working, I’m here to help,” Maizey found that it was easier to talk to Gebra about the job. Here, she knew what to say. She was able to give Gebra her assignment like she did any new employee, and start her day. Although unlike any new employee, Maizey ended the conversation with “Good luck, I know you’re going to do great. And if you don’t, well, I’ll cover for you,” Gebra had smiled again and Maizey had blushed. 

The morning was mostly uneventful. Maizey found Smeech sitting on top of one of the aisles at one point, which was a little odd, but seeing as it was Smeech, she wasn’t too alarmed. 

“Are you okay?” She had asked the boy.

In response Smeech and given her a thumbs up. 

“Can you get down?” 

Smeech had jumped down from the aisle, given Maizey a bright smile, and walked away. All in all, not the weirdest interaction she’d had with Smeech. 

During her lunch break, she and Mike had gone out to her car to inspect it. Mike had spent about twenty minutes looking at different parts, turning the key, and finally trying to jump start it. Nothing worked. 

He had explained what he thought was wrong with a lot of words Maizey didn’t quite understand, he finished the explanation with “You might be able to fix it, but even if you did, a new used car would be cheaper.” 

All of Maizey’s thoughts about this maybe being a good day dissipated. She trusted what Mike had to say, he knew cars well. “So I’m screwed for now,” She said, frowning.

“I’m sorry Maizey,” Mike replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I can drive you home again,”

“Thanks, but I can’t make you keep doing that. I’ll take the bus, it’ll be fine.” She checked her watch. “I should get back to work. Thanks for looking at it,”

The second half of Maizey’s day was about as eventful as the first half. Around 4, she was called down to the checkout area to deal with a customer. She found herself standing by Gebra, facing a middle aged man. 

“What seems to be the problem?” She asked in her nicest customer service voice. 

“She won’t put my item in a bag!” The man complained loudly. 

Maizey looked at Gebra who shrugged helplessly and gestured to a large armchair on a dolley. Maizey stared at it, then looked at the man. 

“It’s a chair.” She said, not sure what else to say.

“I want it in a bag!” The man was louder than before. 

Maizey took a bag, opened it, and put it over the corner of the chair. She grabbed his receipt from the machine and handed it him. “Have a nice day, sir.” She said firmly. 

The man grumbled something and left with his chair. Gebra turned to Maizey, “I didn’t know what to tell him, I tried to explain,”

“Don’t worry about it,” Maizey replied. “We get idiots here all the time,” 

Once her shift ended, Maizey grabbed a few groceries, and headed out. It was raining again, and she sighed heavily. The walk to the bus stop was only a minute or two, but it still sucked in the rain. By the time she sat on the bench to wait, she was once again soaked and shivering. Several minutes into her wait, someone joined her. 

Gebra sat down next to Maizey with a small smile. She had an umbrella, probably because she was smarter than Maizey. “Hey,” 

“Hey,” Maizey replied. She wondered where Gene was for a second, then remembered that he had had a shorter shift. 

“Thanks for being so helpful today,” Gebra said, still smiling at Maizey.

“Oh, it’s my job,” Maizey shrugged, blushing once again. “But for the record, you’re a great person to work with,” 

“Thank you,” The two smiled at each other for a moment, 

“Your hair is my favorite color,” Gebra commented. 

“Oh,” Maizey put a hand on her hair, which was apparently the last straw for the hairband holding in her messy bun. The hairband snapped, falling into Maizey’s lap and letting her hair poof out in all directions. She stared at it for a moment, then looked up at Gebra, who was laughing. Maizey started to laugh, too. It was nice to laugh about something so silly, and it was especially nice to see Gebra laugh. Maizey wished this moment could last forever.

But it couldn’t, and their laughing was cut off when a bus pulled up. “Oh, that’s mine,” Gebra said, still grinning.

“Well, I’ll see you later then,” Maizey said, sad to see Gebra go already. That was silly, she’d most likely see the other woman again tomorrow. 

“Yeah,” Gebra paused, then took off her coat, putting it around Maizey’s shoulders. “You look cold. Get home safe,”

Maizey was frozen for a moment, one hand on the coat now around her shoulders. “You too,” She managed to say as Gebra got on the bus. She got another bright smiled from Gebra, then the bus doors closed and it drove away. Maizey pulled the coat tightly around her shoulders. It smelled nice, like vanilla and coconut, or maybe something else entirely. 

Wow, Maizey thought, running a hand over the hem of the coat, She’s perfect. Maybe sticking around wasn’t such a bad thing, especially if it meant she got to spend more time with Gebra. Maybe she would be happy here. For the first time in a long time, Maizey had real hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter yet at 6 pages and 2,465 words. That's like, my other two chapters put together.   
> Anyways, if there's anything you want to see in this, let me know and I'll do my best to include it!  
> Thanks to my pals in the Crewndis for helping me out!  
> Also! *avengers credit font* The Rat Will Return
> 
> alternate summary:   
> maizey: life is hard
> 
> gebra: (:
> 
> maizey: nevermind i am in love


	4. Laughing 'Til Our Ribs Get Tough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night out.

Several weeks passed and Maizey found herself assigning jobs so that she and Gebra worked together as much as possible. She loved spending time with Gebra, although they had only spent time together at work. Currently, Maizey was sitting on the floor, restocking the office supplies with Gebra. Her phone rang, interrupting a story Gebra was telling about Gene as a teenager. Maizey rose to her feet and pulled her phone out of her pocket, frowning at the Caller ID. 

“Hello?” Maizey said uneasily. Gebra looked up at her, concerned.

“Hello, is this Maizey Flint?” A man on the other end asked. 

“Yeah, who is this?” Maizey had a feeling she knew who it was. 

“My name is Bryan Westen, I’m a debt collector,” 

Maizey sighed and sat back down on the floor next to Gebra and the box of office supplies. “I can’t pay right now, I’m sorry,” 

“I understand, Miss Flint, but you must understand that there is interest on the payments you are making,” His voice dripped with fake empathy. 

“I understand, Mr. Westen, but I still can’t pay right now. I’m at work, I have to go,” She rubbed a hand over her face tiredly. 

“Miss Flint, you need-” Maizey hung up on him. 

“Flint?” Gebra asked, then blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I thought your last name was Masara, though?”

“Yeah, Flint was my step dad's last name. Incidentally, it’s his debt I’m paying off. Well, mostly.” She sighed. “And don’t worry about eavesdropping, I would have left if I cared that much. Just, please don’t spread it around,” 

“I won’t.” Gebra paused. “Hey,” Gebra put a hand on Maizey’s arm. “It’s going to work out,”

“Thanks, Gebra,” The thing was, Maizey actually believed it when Gebra said it. 

The two of them went back to stocking the shelves, but Maizey was distracted thinking about the money she owed. She was trying to pay off the debt, which was a mix of hospital bills, unpaid bank loans, unpaid loans from her step dad’s old friends, and some of her own debt. 

“Hey, Maizey,” Gebra’s voice broke Maizey out of her thoughts. ”Gene and I are going to go out tonight, do you wanna join us? We were thinking about inviting Mike, too,” 

“Oh, uh,” Maizey thought for a second. “Where are you guys going?”

Gebra shrugged. “There’s a new bar downtown that we might try,”

“Oh,” Maizey’s heart sunk, she’d been hoping to hang out with those three outside of work. “I don’t drink, actually. I hope you guys have fun, though,” 

“We don’t have to go to the bar,” Gebra said quickly. “I mean, if you want to come, neither Gene or I had our hearts set on going there. We could go bowling, the alley isn’t that far away.” 

“That would be fun,” Maizey considered for a moment. 

“So you’re coming?” Gebra asked.

“Yes,” Gebra’s smile was brighter than the sun. 

When their shifts ended, Maizey met Gebra, Gene, and Mike out by Minestrone. Mike had offered to drive after being invited, and had also been quite happy to be included. Maizey decided she should invite the guy to do more outside of work. It was a Thursday which meant the bowling alley shouldn’t be too crowded, and they all had the next day off which meant no one was worried about getting home early. 

Maizey found herself in the back seat with Gebra, Gene having excitedly called shotgun before anyone else could even think of doing so. Maizey wasn’t complaining. Gene was talking animatedly about something to do with his band and Mike seemed thoroughly invested in the conversation. Maizey was distracted by Gebra. Not anything Gebra was doing, just how wonderful she was. Maizey was lucky just to know her. She didn’t need anything else from Gebra, it was just nice to be her friend. It was like Gebra lit up any room she was in just by being there.

They pulled up in front of the bowling alley and piled out. Gene took the lead, almost running to the main desk to request a lane and shoes, then half walking and half bouncing to their lane with the other three following at a slightly slower pace.

“He’s even more excited than usual,” Maizey commented to Gebra, who laughed. 

“He was hoping you guys would join us, and now that you are I think he might explode,” Gebra explained, smiling. 

“I’m glad you invited us,” Maizey replied. “I don’t get out much,”

“Neither do I,” Mike said, and Maizey wasn’t sure how she had forgotten he was right there. 

“Well, we’re going to have to change that,” Gebra stood, having finished tying her bowling shoes. “Let’s play!” 

Maizey was terrible at bowling. She was well aware of that before this trip, but the difference was that previously she had also hated bowling. Tonight, it was one of the most fun things she had ever done. Mike had even taken the time to give her some pointers, leaving Maizey to wonder if he was good at everything. 

“Great shot, Maizey!” Gebra cheered. Maizey had knocked down 4 pins on the second try, which was great compared to how she had been doing. 

Mike stepped up. He was currently in the lead, which continued when he threw a strike. The other three cheered, none of them were very competitive, at least not in this setting. Now if Pam had been here? Maizey was pretty sure she would’ve found a way to become a star bowler in two minutes just to beat Pam. 

“How are you so good at this?” Maizey asked, half laughing, half exasperated. 

“I have good aim,” Mike replied with a smile. “I’m going to get food. Any requests?” 

No one had a specific answer beyond drink orders, so Mike came back with a tray loaded with nachos, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, onion rings, dipping sauces, and their assorted drinks. “I wouldn’t call any of this real food,” He said, setting it down, “But it should do,” 

“Mike, this is gonna be the best meal I’ve had all week,” Maizey replied, grinning widely. She missed the concern that flashed across Mike’s face. 

“I think,” Gebra said, also smiling, “Bowling is more about the shitty bowling alley food than the bowling itself,” 

“A truer statement has never been made,” Maizey nodded. 

“I’m so glad you all came tonight,” Gene said, grabbing his lemonade. “A toast! To the best friends, coworkers, and sister a guy could ask for!” 

“Hell yeah!” Maizey cheered. The four tapped their plastic Coca-Cola cups together, then drank. 

With only a round left, they finished their game, Mike won, of course, and they sat down to enjoy their greasy bowling alley food. It was the most relaxed Maizey had been in a long time. Mike made one of his dry jokes that sent Gene into first a laughing fit, then a coughing fit. Maizey snorted at Gene’s antics and turned to say something to Gebra, but paused. Mike was watching her from across the the table with an emotion on his face that Maizey couldn’t place. Could it be pride? No, that wouldn’t make sense. She decided to think about it later. 

It was all so easy. All the jokes were hilarious, the stories were interesting, and the food was great. Maizey couldn’t decide if it was because it was late or because she just loved being with these people. Maybe both. Either way, she was feeling good. 

Once they had finished, the four headed back out to Minestrone. Maizey and Gebra took the back again. Gebra immediately leaned her head against Maizey’s shoulder, and Maizey’s heart flip flopped in her chest. 

Only a few minutes into their drive, Gene excitedly pointed out the window at a building coming up. “Ice cream!” He exclaimed, bouncing in his seat.

“You want ice cream at 10:30 at night?” Maizey asked, smiling at the pure Gene-ness of the situation.

“You don’t?” Gene countered. 

Maizey shrugged. “You got me there,” 

And so the group made their second stop of the night, Gene just as excited as he had been hours earlier when they had gotten to the bowling alley. The four ordered, Gene insisted on paying, and slid into a booth. The ice cream shop was decorated like an old 50’s diner, complete with a jukebox in the corner by their booth. Maizey scrounged up a few quarters from her pocket and slid them to Gene who had been eyeing the jukebox. He immediately jumped up from his seat and queued up several songs before returning to his cotton candy ice cream. 

“This was a stellar idea,” Mike said, taking a bite of his own butter pecan ice cream. 

“Gene, you are a genius,” Gebra added, then paused. “A Gene-ius!” 

For some reason that was one of the funniest things Maizey had ever heard, and she half choked before bursting into a fit of laughter. It was the hardest she had laughed in a very long time. When she finally caught her breath, she noticed Gebra staring at her, smiling softly. 

“What?” She asked, still grinning. 

“Nothing,” Gebra replied. “It’s just, well, this is the first time I’ve seen you really laugh in the weeks I’ve known you,” 

“Oh,” Maizey considered. “You guys just make me really happy,” 

“Aww,” Gene cooed. “That’s so sweet Maizey!” 

“Oh, whatever,” Maizey waved him off, but was still smiling. 

“Hey!” Gebra suddenly exclaimed. “I love this song!” 

The jukebox was playing I Wanna Dance With Somebody. 

“Not exactly era accurate, is it?” Maizey raised an eyebrow. 

“Who cares?” Gebra asked, tapping her foot to the beat. 

Maizey stood and, on an impulse, offered her hand to Gebra. “Would you like to dance with somebody?” 

“Not just somebody,” Gebra replied, taking Maizey’s hand and standing. “I wanna dance with you,” 

Maizey laughed, and spun Gebra around, before starting to dance with her. Gebra was much better than Maizey, but Maizey was proud to say that she was mostly able to keep up. Gene was doing is own sort of dance off to the side, having been unsuccessful in dragging Mike onto their makeshift dance floor. 

This must be what happiness feels like, Maizey thought, laughing with the others and twirling Gebra around. It had been such a long time since she was really, truly happy. She never wanted this moment to end. 

But, as all good things must, it did. The song finished and Maizey found herself holding Gebra’s hands, both smiling brightly. For a moment, she could imagine a different life. A life where she met not only Gebra, but Gene and Mike long before she did. It was a life that was brighter than hers had been. But she knew them now. At least she had that. 

“Uh, hey, guys,” The teen behind the counter said. “Sorry, but we closed a few minutes ago, I’d let you stay but I want to go home,” 

With a few quick apologies to the teen, the four of them packed back into Mike’s van, and started the drive home. Gebra dozed off on Maizey’s shoulder while quiet radio music played; it was one of those stations that only played 70’s and 80’s music. Gene was humming along to the radio and Mike kept using the rearview mirror to glance back at Maizey. She made eye contact one time, and he smiled at her. 

The first stop was Gene and Gebra’s apartment, which was much nicer than Maizey’s on the outside. Maizey got out with them to switch seats with Gene, but before she could get back in the van, Gebra stopped her. 

“Hey,” She said, smiling tiredly. 

“Hey,” Maizey returned her smile. 

“I’m glad you came,” She pulled Maizey into a hug, then turned and went inside. 

“See you later!” Gene called, then followed his sister. 

Maizey stood there for a moment, she felt warm inside, like she had just drank hot chocolate on a cold day. Then she turned and climbed into the passenger seat. 

Mike pulled back onto the road, and looked over at Maizey. 

“What?” She asked curiously. “You’ve been looking at me like that all night,”

“It’s just,” Mike paused, choosing his words. “I’ve never seen you so happy. When we talked a few weeks ago, you seemed to be having a hard time. And now,” He paused again. “I’m happy for you, Maizey.” 

Maizey didn’t answer right away. She watched the streetlights go by, considering what Mike had said. “ I don’t,” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat. “I don’t think I have ever been this happy. Not just recently, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life,” 

Mike reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Then it’s good you’re happy now,” 

“Yeah,” Maizey agreed. “Yeah. I’m happy right now,” She knew that one night of fun wouldn’t fix her life. She still had debts to pay, a job where she wasn’t going anywhere, and about a million other problems. But right now? She was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heck yeah, I'm still going! I really loved writing this chapter. Let me know what you think!  
> Chapter title is from ribs by lorde, I'm not original so expect a lot of song lyric titles.  
> Uh shoutout to the crewndis peeps who are amazing and support this passion project of mine, and shoutout to Gen who's name is why the "Gene-ius" pun exists in this fic, I just had to add a letter.  
> if you're interested, I have a spotify playlist for this fic. Some songs are just to write with, but mostly I have ones that fit the plot or will fit the plot so... do with that information what you will... https://open.spotify.com/user/rcfb182/playlist/0Vqxp5yLlO3Z8OmGlQIc8a?si=niNtW1OuT3ijC3v_Tfx0Hw


	5. The Spookiest Thing is Being Emotionally Vulnerable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween and Mike and Maizey get to spend some quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings for: some dude being an asshole, implied homophobia, referenced previous alcoholism

Halloween. It was a cause for excitement for children, teens, college students, and even some adults. It was not a cause for excitement at Mr. B’s. Normal hours were 6 am to 11 pm, and Maizey’s shift usually started at 6 and ended between 5 and 8, depending on the day. On Halloween, and several other days of the year including New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July, the store stayed open until 2 am, running with only a skeleton crew. It was a game of chance, very few people volunteered, so they drew straws. This year, Maizey and Mike had been among the ones chosen to stay. Gebra had offered to stay with Maizey, but she couldn’t do that to Gebra, she cared about the other woman too much. 

And so Maizey was manning one of the two open checkout stands at 11:30 pm. The regular crew had left, and the store was fairly quiet. A few teens were buying candy rather than trick or treat, a few people were buying emergency supplies to fix costumes, and one college-aged guy was picking out an impressive selection of alcohol. Maizey sighed, she was just waiting for someone to check out so she had something to do. A discarded receipt caught her eye and she grabbed it, crumpled it into a ball, and aimed it at Mike. He was manning the other checkout stand and currently had his back turned to her. 

She bit her lip, taking time to perfectly line up her shot and… It hit him in the back of the neck. 

Mike turned to look at Maizey, then at the receipt now on the floor. She shrugged at him. He picked up the receipt and, with amazing speed and precision, hit Maizey’s forehead with it. 

“How are you such a good shot?” She asked, rubbing the spot he had hit her. It hadn’t hurt, but it had surprised her. 

Mike considered for a second. “I was in the Air Force for 12 years,” He replied dryly. 

“Oh,” Maizey paused, “I don’t think I knew that,” 

“You didn’t. I don’t really… advertise it,” Mike frowned slightly. He opened his mouth to say more, but the college kid with all the alcohol dumped it onto the conveyor belt at Maizey’s checkout stand. Maizey raised her eyebrows at the guy. 

“Big party?”

“Uh, yeah, something like that,” He said, wiping his hands on his pants. Maizey was pretty sure he was already drunk. She would be concerned, but most kids his age took the bus. 

“Can I see your I.D.?” She asked, holding a hand out. 

“I’m obviously 21,” His voice was full of obviously fake confidence. 

“Yeah,” Maizey was unimpressed. “I’m really gonna need to see that I.D., now.” 

He pulled out his wallet and handed her his I.D. She pretended to really scrutinize it, but she had seen the birthdate immediately. 

“You’re 19, no alcohol for you,” She told him, handing him his I.D. 

“Aw, c’mon man, be cool!” He whined, not helping his case. 

“I’ve never been cool, and I’m not planning on starting now,” Maizey stood straighter; she was taller than him when she wasn’t leaning on the checkstand. “Go get yourself some soda, or scram,” 

His face was turning an interesting shade of red. “You don’t have to be a bitch about it!” He half shouted. “God, it’s not my fault you’re like, on your period or something, you don’t gotta take it out on me!” 

“That’s an interesting jump to make,” Maizey replied without much emotion. God this situation had escalated fast. “Now get the hell out of this store,” 

“I can stay! I’m a customer! You can’t kick me out, you… you bitch!” He was jabbing his finger at Maizey like it would intimidate her. 

His vocabulary was truly astounding. 

“You’re harassing an employee,” Mike spoke up, stepping up behind the boy. “You are going to leave, or I am going to call the police. But who’s to say what would happen before they got here,”

“Are… are you threatening me, man?” The guy actually sounded scared. 

Mike took a step closer, and the boy half ran out of the store. 

The two watched his escape, both thoroughly unimpressed by the kid. 

“Are you okay, Maizey?” Mike asked once the boy was gone, concern obvious on his face. 

“Yeah, I’ve dealt with worse,” She frowned at the alcohol still on the checkstand. “Do you think I can get Steven to put these away?” 

“Probably,” Mike replied. “Only two hours left,” He nodded at the clock on the wall. 

“It’s not even Halloween anymore,” Maizey commented. “It’s November first,” 

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Mike said sarcastically. 

Maizey snorted. “Yeah, I can’t say I love celebrating white people taking advantage of the Native Americans,” 

“That’s fair,” Mike nodded. A customer approached his checkstand, and their conversation ended.

Maizey ended up putting away the bottles of alcohol, grumbling about it half-heartedly, even though she was the only one who could hear her. Most of the shift was pretty uneventful. She ran the checkstand for the whole night, Mike closed his after half an hour of slow business. He went off to help restock and start marking Halloween merchandise down for sale, and Maizey continued to sell alcohol and candy to an odd assortment of people, including one man in a sexy hotdog costume. 

Finally, it was time to close for the night. Morning. Whatever. Maizey and Mike were the last ones out, as one of them had to lock up the store. 

Outside of the store, Maizey and Mike headed towards Minestrone, Mike had insisted on giving Maizey a ride home since it was now after 2 am. 

“Hey, Mike,” Maizey said. “Do you want to get something to eat?”

Mike looked slightly surprised. “Yes, that would be nice,” 

So instead of going home, the two found one of the few places open at 2:30 am that served real(ish) food. Denny’s. There were a few groups of teens, still in costume, some tipsy college students, and one woman who looked like she didn’t know how she had gotten there. Maizey and Mike found a corner booth to settle down in, and ordered drinks (Coffee for Mike, Raspberry Iced Tea for Maizey). It had been a little over a week since the bowling excursion, and Maizey was starting to think that it was going to be a regular thing--hanging out with her friends. 

“So, Maizey,” Mike said, setting down his menu. “Do you have plans for the holidays?”

“Oh, no. I haven’t for years now. I usually take the holiday shifts because they pay more,” Maizey replied, unfolding her napkin and rearranging her silverware. “What about you?”

“I was going to see if you wanted to spend Thanksgiving with me,” He replied, looking somewhere slightly off to Maizey’s left. “I’m planning to invite Gene and Gebra, as well. And, possibly, an old friend of mine,” 

“Oh,” Maizey was taken aback, surprised that someone cared about her enough to invite her to a holiday usually reserved for families. “I’d love to. I just figured you had family to go back to,” 

“Yes, well,” Mike cleared his throat. “My family… doesn’t like how I am… who I am.” He paused again. “I’m gay, Maizey,” 

Maizey opened her mouth to reply, but their waitress was there with their drinks. She took their food orders (The All-American Slam for Mike, The Blueberry Pancake Breakfast for Maizey) and left. 

There was a short and awkward silence before Maizey spoke. “I’m gay, too, Mike.” Mike looked up from the table where he had been pointedly staring to avoid making eye contact with Maizey. “And I know what it’s like to not, um, not have a family who loves you unconditionally.” With a sudden burst of confidence, she reached forwards and put her hand on top of Mike’s. “Sometimes when your family doesn’t act like a family, you have to find your own,” 

Mike stared at her wordlessly for a long moment, and Maizey withdrew her hand. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No,” Mike interrupted her. “No, you don’t have to apologize. It’s just, what you said, when you said that, you sounded like Ernie.”

“Ernie?” Maizey asked, the name wasn’t familiar to her. 

“Ernesto Gordon Goondis,” Mike replied. “He was my friend--my best friend-- back in the air force.” 

Maizey stayed quiet, but nodded, prompting Mike to continue. 

“Ernie was one of the nicest people I ever met, which was impressive because his family was awful,” Mike took a sip of his coffee. “We started in the air force at the same time, he and I were both misfits of sorts. I was gay and British, and he… well, his story isn’t mine to tell. We bonded immediately, though. He left two years before I did. We went on a mission that went south.” Mike cleared his throat. “I don’t like to think about it, but I was able to stay around longer, Ernie… Ernie left. We fell out of touch for a long time, but recently he got in contact with me, he’s headed here, we’re going to meet up,” 

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Maizey asked, fidgeting with her straw wrapper. “I mean, it sounds like you really care about him,” 

“Yes, but,” Mike almost sounded nervous. “He was also my boyfriend, which complicates things,” 

“It doesn’t have to,” Maizey told him. “Treat him like you would any old friend you’re meeting up with. But nicer because it sounds like it’d be good to have him back in your life,” 

Mike considered her advice, and the waitress returned with their food. They thanked her and began eating. Maizey transferred her eggs to Mike’s plate and Mike gave her his hashbrowns. It was a wordless agreement from the last time they had gotten breakfast together. This was only the third time they had done so, and it was the second time they had done it one-on-one. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Mike said after a few moments of the comfortable silence that comes with eating. “Are you alright? I know you said you were at the store, but that boy was very aggressive.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Maizey replied with a shrug. “Alcohol makes people do stupid things,” 

“It sounds like you say that from first-hand experience,” Mike noted. 

“Yeah, you could say that,” Maizey replied, pushing her food around.

Mike nodded, somehow communicating that she could simply leave it at that, or say more, and either way, he would let her do what she needed to do. 

“I used to drink,” Maizey said. “Now, well,” She considered her next move, then decided that she was comfortable with Mike, enough so that she was willing to share. She pulled out her wallet and reached into a small pocket that only held one thing. She pulled out the coin and slid it across the table to Mike. 

Mike glanced up at her, she nodded, and he picked it up to inspect it. “Oh,” He said, then looked closer. “Five years sober?”

She nodded. “Six in March,” He passed the coin back and she zipped it back into the small pocket in her wallet. “I don’t go to meetings as often as I used to, but I think I’m doing pretty well,” 

“That’s great, Maizey,” Mike smiled at her. “You’ve come a long way since I first met you,” 

“Yeah, well, it’s been what, seven years?” She replied, returning his smile. 

“Something like that,” Mike nodded. “You’ve grown up a lot, Maizey. It might sound odd, but I’m proud of you,” 

For some reason, that simple sentence brought tears to Maizey’s eyes. She blinked them back. “Thanks, Mike,” She cleared her throat. “I’m really glad I’ve gotten to know you better,” 

“The feeling is mutual,” Mike replied sincerely. 

The conversation took a lighter turn after that, Maizey found out she and Mike listened to the same true crime podcast, and they discussed the latest episodes. They both had to box up some of their food, and Mike insisted on paying. The drive home was quiet but in a comfortable, sleepy way. 

Maizey actually dozed off, and Mike had to wake her up when they got to her apartment building. He offered to walk her in and she accepted, too tired to be concerned about any mess. 

Maizey opened her door and immediately heard something crash inside. “Dammit,” She mumbled. 

“Is there someone in your apartment?” Mike asked.

“No, but there might be a cat,” Despite the fact that it was most likely The Cat, Maizey grabbed her bat, feeling a sense of deja vu. 

She ventured forwards, Mike close behind in case it was someone, and flicked on the light. It was indeed The Cat. “It’s you,” She said to The Cat, unimpressed. 

At the same time, Mike said “How did you get here?” also to The Cat.

“Wait, what?” Maizey turned to stare at Mike. 

“That’s my cat!” Mike exclaimed, and sure enough, the cat jumped off of Maizey’s counter (where he had just knocked an empty plastic pitcher to the ground) and rubbed against Mike’s legs, purring. 

“He’s been coming to my apartment for four years,” Maizey explained, reaching down to scratch Mike’s Cat on the head. “What’s his name?” 

“Leeks,” Mike said.

“Like the vegetable?” Maizey asked. 

“Like the soup.” Mike replied. “I can’t believe he’s been coming here when he goes missing,”

“I bought him cat toys and everything.” Maizey gestured to a small, third-hand cat tree she had purchased for Leeks Soup. 

“He’s been spoiled rotten,” Mike said, frowning at his cat, then yawning. “I should head home. I’ll take Leeks with me,” 

“Go ahead,” Maizey replied. “I’m sure he’ll come back. Doesn’t bother me,” 

“I’m glad. I would feel awful if my cat had been terrorizing you,” 

Maizey laughed and said goodbye, watching through her window as Mike drove away.

“Happy Halloween,” She mumbled to herself before climbing into bed. She fell asleep faster than she ever had in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah y'all! Over 2,000 words again!  
> I loved this chapter, it was so fun to write!  
> Shoutout to Kiwi and Doth for picking up on the Mike is in the Military thing!  
> Let me know what you thought! Every comment feeds my desire to keep writing this fic that I am terrifyingly passionate about!  
> Also - I do not have first-hand experience with alcoholism, so if I say anything wrong, please let me know! I am reading and doing my research, so I hope I'm doing alright!


	6. Sick Days and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gebra takes a sick day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: past death

The weather grew colder as it was wont to do in November in Illinois. Maizey pulled her box of winter clothes out from under her bed and began layering leggings under her jeans to fight off the cold. On this particular day, Maizey was wearing a large yellow sweater over a white turtleneck, all under a dark green winter coat. She was walking to the store from her bus stop, and actually felt pretty good. It was cold and cloudy, but the air was dry and she wasn’t all that cold for once. 

It helped that Gebra had started texting her in the morning to remind Maizey to bring a jacket. 

She didn’t mind mornings, she had decided. It was quiet, and it was nice to get some time to herself that wasn’t lonely. Maizey had also began to recognize people on the bus who had the same morning schedule as her. It was nice to find a sense of familiarity among these strangers. 

Maizey entered the store, which was warmer than outside, but not warm enough to be called warm. Still, she took off her coat and stored it in her locker in the break room, then picked up her clipboard to look over the days assignments. Gene was off work today, he was at the college working on a “super important project”(those were Gene’s exact words). Gebra was working today and she and Maizey would be marking things down for sale to start the day. Before Maizey could look through more, she heard a skittering noise in the corner. 

Setting her clipboard down, she headed over to investigate. Once more, there was a rat in the break room. It was the same rat as before, Maizey was certain. She grabbed the bucket once more, and scooped the rat up into it. Instead of covering it, she simply let the rat slide to the bottom of the bucket. It skittered against the side, but was unable to climb out. 

“I feel bad putting you out into the cold,” She informed the rat. “But I can’t keep you here,” She paused on her way out, seeing Pam’s scarf hung up on the coat tree. Maizey considered her next action carefully. The scarf had been on that coat tree since last January. Pam had not touched it. Maizey knew it belonged to Pam, but she wasn’t sure that Pam knew it belonged to Pam. Maizey took the scarf. Pam was always saying that anything left in the break room for longer than a week would be thrown out and the scarf had been there for ten months. 

Maizey set the rat free in the same spot as before, but this time she set it free on top of the scarf. The rat considered Maizey’s offering, then grabbed it in it’s little rat mouth, and took off into the bushes. Maizey watched it disappear, then turned to head inside. She paused, seeing Gebra approaching the store across the parking lot. 

“Gebra!” She called, half jogging to meet the other woman. “Hey,”

“Hey,” Gebra replied, then coughed. 

“Are you okay?” Maizey asked, concerned. “You don’t look great,” 

“I’m a little sick,” She fished a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. “Don’t worry about me, Maizey. It’s really nothing,” 

Maizey frowned. “If you say so, but if you need to leave, just let me know,” 

“That’s sweet, Maizey, but I’ll be fine,” Gebra coughed again.

“Let’s get you inside at least,” Maizey said, leading Gebra back inside and to the breakroom where Gebra immediately sat down. Maizey frowned slightly, but Gebra was an adult, it wasn’t like she could force her to go home or anything. It would be hypocritical, really, considering all the times Maizey had come to work sick. 

Maizey went through her morning announcements only half paying attention to what she was saying. She was half watching Gebra the whole time, trying to figure out how best to help her. She didn’t want to embarrass Gebra, or annoy her, but she seemed to be looking worse by the second. 

The best thing to do, Maizey decided, would be to just work beside Gebra, and make sure she didn’t get too much worse. So she and Gebra headed out to start marking sale items down, reassigning the prices and putting up the tags. Gebra was working at a quarter of the pace she usually did, but beyond casting concerned looks in her direction, Maizey said nothing. It wasn’t until Gebra stood up from putting a tag on one of the lower shelves and immediately lost her balance--to the point where Maizey had to half catch her--that she said anything. 

“Gebra, you can’t work like this,” Maizey still had a hand on Gebra’s shoulder, steadying the other woman. 

“I’m okay, Maizey, really,” Gebra replied, unconvincingly. 

“I’d be more inclined to believe you if you didn’t look like you were about to pass out,” Maizey replied. “Be honest, Gebra, you wouldn’t let me stick around if I was as sick as you,”

Gebra considered that, but Maizey could tell that she was right. “I guess not,”

“Go home then,” Maizey paused, “If you want me to, I’ll take you home, I’m a little worried you’ll fall over getting on the bus.”

“Really?” Gebra smiled tiredly. “That’d be really nice,” 

“Sure,” Maizey slung an arm around Gebra’s shoulders. “Let’s go,” 

They went to Mike to ask to go for the rest of the day, he told them to go ahead and leave, and Maizey and Gebra were headed for the bus stop. They got there seconds before the bus did. It was relatively empty, and the ride was short. Gebra rested her head against Maizey’s shoulder, and Maizey smiled down at the other woman, despite the fact that she couldn’t see Maizey’s face. Man, she really liked being around Gebra. She could spend her life with her. Well, her and Mike and Gene. But Gebra was a big part of that. 

The bus stopped by a brick building, and Gebra rose to her feet unsteadily. “This is my stop,” She mumbled. 

Maizey got up, too, and followed Gebra off of the bus. They went over a few buildings, then up a few floors, and arrived in front of Gebra’s apartment. “You can go if you want,” Gebra said, pulling out her keys. “I don’t want to make you miss any more work,”

“Oh,” Maizey frowned slightly. “I was gonna stick around, make you some soup or something. But I can go if you want me to,” 

Gebra looked up at her, surprised. “Really? No, you can stay, I just didn’t wanna make you,” She unlocked the door and entered the apartment, Maizey right behind her. The apartment was much nicer than her own. It was in a nicer part of town, for one, and it was not a studio. There were four doors, which Maizey guessed were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and maybe a closet, or an extra room. The kitchen was a nice size, and the living room had a large, comfortable looking couch that Maizey was immediately jealous of. 

“You have a nice apartment,” Maizey commented as Gebra dropped onto the couch. 

“Oh, thank you,” Gebra kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes.

“Do you want some tea?” Maizey asked, starting towards the kitchen.

“I should be offering it to you,” Gebra opened her eyes again to smile at Maizey. “But, yeah, tea sounds great,”

In the kitchen, Maizey noticed some old family pictures; most of them were of Gene and Gebra, and several had an older woman who was obviously related to them. None of them appeared to be local, which meant that Gene and Gebra must have grown up somewhere else. Come to think of it, Maizey was pretty sure Gene had mentioned living in Idaho. 

“Why did you move here?” Maizey asked curiously, filling the tea kettle she had found on the stove. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course,”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Gebra waved her concern off. “My grandparents owned this apartment, they died some time back, but they left it to me and Gene to sell or keep. I was really too young to understand the process of selling it so it just made sense to move here.” 

“How long have you lived here?” Maizey was leaning on the counter, waiting for the water to boil. 

“Wow, uh… six years?” Gebra replied, calculating in her head. “Yeah, I was twenty when Gene and I moved here,” 

“Wait, isn’t Gene like, three years younger than you?” Maizey asked. “Sorry, it’s not really my business,” 

“Maizey, it’s fine,” Gebra reassured, then coughed. “Yeah, he was 17, and I was technically his guardian. We lived with my Grandma in Idaho, obviously not the one who owned this apartment, but she had a heart attack, and there were complications. She died, and it was just me and Gene. This apartment belonged to us, so we moved here, I got my AA, but then I figured I’d get a full time job, help Gene get through school. I’m sure you know, but he’s going to be a nurse. I’m really proud of him,” 

The tea kettle whistled and Maizey set about making the tea. “He’s going to be a great nurse, I’m sure of it,” 

“He is,” Gebra replied. “What about you? Why’d you move here?”

“I never left,” Maizey brought the tea over and handed a mug to Gebra. “I was born in Belvidere, and at the rate I’m going I’m going to die in Belvidere.”

“So do you have family around here?” Gebra asked, blowing on the tea to cool it down. 

“Nah,” Maizey replied. “My dad died before I was born, my mom died when I was 12, and my step-dad died uh, seven years ago I think? Yeah, I was 21,” She took a sip of her tea, wincing when she burned her mouth. “Despite my tragic childhood, I never became the star of a fantastical journey where I was the chosen one,” 

“You like to read, I take it?” Gebra smiled, a little sadly, over at Maizey. 

“Yeah,” Maizey sighed, although not unhappily. “I spent a good part of my childhood waiting for a wizard or an alien or some other fantastical person to whisk me off into a world of adventure. That ended when I started working at Mr. B’s,” 

“How long have you worked there?” Gebra yawned, but still looked interested in the conversation. 

“12 whole years.” Maizey shook her head. “I’ve dedicated 12 whole years to that store. I started when I 16, and I never left,” 

“Wow,” Gebra said, taking a sip of her tea now that it wasn’t boiling hot. “Why aren’t you the manager?”

“Hell if I know,” Maizey replied with a shrug. “I was promoted to Floor Supervisor when I was 23, right before Pam started, and I haven’t gone past that,” 

“Well you deserve more,” Gebra replied sincerely. She set her mug on the side table and reached forwards to put her hands on Maizey’s shoulders. “You are an amazing person Maizey Masara,” 

“Thanks, Geb,” Maizey smiled at her. “You are too,” 

“Thank you,” Gebra replied, settling back down and picking up her tea again. “Do you want to watch something? We have Netflix,” 

“Sure,” Maizey sat back, too. 

The two ended up watching Queer Eye, which Maizey had never seen before. Gebra fell asleep after the second episode and Maizey did after the third. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she was curled up on the couch next to Gebra. 

When she woke up, quite a lot of time had passed. She had her arms wrapped around Gebra, who was still fast asleep. She blinked, trying to figure out what had woken her up.

“Hey,” A loud whisper came from by the door. Gene must have just gotten home, Maizey realized. 

“Hey,” She whispered back, carefully extracting her arms from around Gebra and sitting up. 

“She told me you were here,” Gene said, smiling fondly at his sister sleeping on the couch. “Thanks for getting her home,” 

Maizey’s mind went back to her earlier conversation with Gebra. “You guys are really close,” She commented, not sure where she was going with that. 

“Yeah, she’s really the best sister in the world. She’s my best friend, too,” Gene considered Maizey for a moment. “You’re good for her,”

Maizey shook her head, raising her eyebrows. “You have it wrong. She’s good for me,”

“Can’t it be both?” Gene asked with a small, slightly sad smile. “She’s so happy around you, Maizey. And no one else could’ve convinced her to take the day off. She really likes you. I’m glad she met you, she really hasn’t been this happy since Nana died,” 

“Oh,” Maizey had never thought that she could help anyone. It was a lot to think about. There was a lot to consider here. She wanted to tell Gene that Gebra was the best thing to ever happen to her, that she was scared of losing her, that she was scared of messing this up like she’s messed so many things in her life up. Instead she said, “Um, I’m gonna head out,”

“Oh,” Gene sounded disappointed. “Okay. Well, get home safe Maizey,” 

Maizey was out the door before he could finish saying her name. When the cold outside air hit her, she shivered, but it did little to clear her thoughts. Throughout the walk to the bus stop, the bus ride, and the walk home, she considered what Gene said and her own feelings. In the end she decided on two things. 

First was that, although it might be selfish, Maizey never wanted Gebra to leave her life. Second was that Maizey wanted to do anything to make Gebra happy, and if Gene was right, she made Gebra happy. 

That created more to think about, but at least she knew two things, and for now, two was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, another day, another chapter.   
> I don't have a ton to say, except thank you guys for reading!  
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> There is a playlist associated with this fic: https://open.spotify.com/user/rcfb182/playlist/0Vqxp5yLlO3Z8OmGlQIc8a?si=m0QHOn5oS_q84BnySX78JA


	7. A Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad days are a bitch to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Suicidal Ideation, General Depression, Mentions of past alcoholism

The thing about bad days is that people can’t always control them. Sure, sometimes when one is feeling malcontented and annoyed, they might listen to happy music, or take a nap, or eat a favorite food and feel better. Other times, this is not the case. 

When feeling better and a little more generous, Maizey would recognize that she’s had a dramatic decrease in Bad Days since becoming closer with Mike, Gene, and, of course, Gebra. She vaguely recognized that now. But mostly, she felt bad. She was lonely, empty, and other things she couldn’t quite pin down. There was a prickly, tense feeling under it all, one that made her want to scream and hit walls and cry loudly. It was like her skin was stretched too tight. 

There was no real cause. She woke up feeling this way has she had many times before. Days like this she would consider calling in sick or just not going in at all. Days like this were ones where she mindlessly wandered the aisles in the store when she inevitably went in. Days like this were ones where she would leave work and wander around the city. She would always end up leaning on the edge of one of the bridges at the edge of town, weighing the consequences of an action she had never been able to take. Days like this were why she had started drinking back when she was still a teenager. 

Maizey played the part she always did. She layed in bed, wondering if she could stay home and wallow in her misery. She stared at her ceiling in the darkness that she always woke up to. She stayed in bed until it was five minutes before she had to go, then rushed to get ready, hating herself for not getting ready earlier. She got outside and was halfway to the bus stop when she realized she had forgotten a jacket. And her phone. 

“Shit!” Maizey exclaimed. She would miss the bus if she went back. 

As luck would have it, she missed the bus anyways. She swore again and fought the urge to kick something. This had happened before, there was another bus that would be there in a few minutes that dropped her off about half a mile from work. She would still be on time if she rushed, but barely. 

Maizey dropped down on the bus stop bench to wait, rubbing her hands over her face and sighing. It was so cold. At least she had a sweater on, but it didn’t do much for the freezing temperatures that come at 5:30 am in November. At least there weren’t any people around. She didn’t know what she would do if someone talked to her, maybe just start screaming. That was a totally sane thing to do. 

The second bus pulled up and Maizey climbed on, mumbled a greeting to the bus driver, then flopped down into one of the seats in the front. One of the most frustrating things about her situation was that she hadn’t had a day like this in over a month. She had somehow convinced herself that she was okay, and she’d never have to feel like this again. A childish belief, really. She watched the streetlights pass by and wondered how long she’d feel this way. There was one time that it lasted nearly a month. 

Maizey didn’t like to think about that month. It was near the end of that month that she had climbed over the railing of the bridge she frequented on days like this. She hadn’t done more than that. The thought that she might have scared her. The thought that she could feel like that again scared her. 

The bus pulled to a stop and Maizey got off, mumbling a thanks to the driver. She shivered and her breath clouded in the air. She hunched her shoulders and began walking toward the store. It was about a ten-minute walk and gave Maizey plenty of time to dread the day ahead of her. She weighed the pros and cons of turning around and waiting for the next bus home. But Maizey had gotten through a month of going to work feeling this way, so she could get through the first day of it. 

Mr. B’s loomed in the distance, and Maizey slowed slightly. She was running late, and at this rate, she would barely make it in before Pam finished her daily pep talk, but Maizey did not want to go in. It felt childish, whiny to complain, even in her own head, about not wanting to go to work. It was like when she used to grumble about going to school in high school. 

“You should see me now,” She mumbled, mentally addressing her past self. “Same job, same bullshit, same everything,” Something angry welled up in her chest, making her face feel hot, but she swallowed it back. Right now she had things to do.

She entered the store, making her way to the break room. She was just outside the door when she heard Pam’s voice. “-letting her performance slip. If she keeps this up, she might not-” Maizey shoved the door open and glared at Pam who froze, obviously not expecting her to have heard Pam talking her down to the rest of the morning staff. Pam opened her mouth to say something, probably something placating that would make Maizey want to scream, but Maizey broke eye contact and headed for the front of the room for her part of the morning announcements. 

Maizey glanced around the room, suddenly struck with the feeling of having no idea what she was doing. Everyone was looking at her, as was usual, considering the fact that this was when she told them if any of their assignments differed from the regular, but right now it felt like she was under a microscope. 

She cleared her throat, swallowed, then cleared her throat again. “Um, same as yesterday, nothing new.” She managed. There was a beat of silence, then people began to head out to the main floor, or talk amongst themselves. Maizey stayed where she was standing, wondering what the hell was wrong with her, despite the fact that she knew what was wrong with her. She glanced up and Gebra caught her gaze. Gebra raised her eyebrows, a silent question, probably about what was going on with Maizey. Maizey forced a smile in response, then turned, headed to unlock the main doors so that the day could begin. 

It had only been a few days since Maizey had made Gebra take that sick day. The next day, she and Gene had managed to convince Gebra to take a second sick day, and she was back after that, much better than before. Maizey was pretty sure they were closer now, too. But that didn’t mean she was going to make Gebra listen to all her problems. That sounded like the fast track to losing one of the most important friendships in her life. 

The day continued much as Maizey had expected. She wandered the aisles, doing her best to avoid her well-meaning friends, worried that if she actually got to talking to one of them she wouldn’t be able to stop. Maizey supposed she should feel lucky that she now had friends to avoid. Instead, she did the minimal amount of work needed to not be bothered by Pam. Every so often she would find herself staring blankly at whatever she had been doing, not particularly thinking about anything, but not doing anything either. The angry, antsy feeling had mostly dissipated, leaving Maizey more exhausted than she had been before. 

Although the day dragged by, Maizey eventually found herself clocking out and leaving the store, her legs carrying her in the direction they always did on bad days. Before she could get past the parking lot, she was stopped by Gebra’s voice. 

“Maizey!” Gebra called, jogging to catch up with Maizey. Maizey stopped to wait for the other woman. “I haven’t gotten to talk to you all day, are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah,” Maizey replied with a slight nod 

“Are you sure? You don’t seem like your usual self,” Gebra’s concern was evident on her face, and Maizey felt bad. 

“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” It was a flimsy excuse, but Maizey wasn’t sure what else to say. 

Gebra didn’t look like she believed Maizey, but she let the subject drop. “Gene’s going to be out in a minute, then we’re headed to the bus stop, do you want to wait with us?” 

“Oh, uh,” Maizey shifted her weight uncomfortably. “I actually have some stuff I need to do, I’ll see you later, though,” 

“Oh,” Gebra looked disappointed. “Alright then, get home safe Maizey, okay?” 

“Yeah, you too,” Maizey turned to leave. 

“Wait, Maizey,” Gebra called, and Maizey stopped her walk once more, turning back to look at Gebra. 

Much like the first night they had met, Gebra took off her own coat and draped it around Maizey’s shoulders, smiling sadly. “You look cold,” 

“Thank you,” Maizey said quietly. Gebra nodded and headed back into the store to get Gene.

Maizey started her walk.

She knew this walk well. It was too long to be considered pleasant, but it was in the general direction of her apartment, so it wasn’t a long ride from there to home. Maizey kept her head down, her hands shoved into the pockets of the green coat Gebra had just given to her. The walk gave her time to think, which wasn’t always a good thing. 

Her mind wandered back to when she was still in college, on her way to getting a transferable associate's degree in business. At the time, she had thought that owning a business would be what she wanted to do. She had two years of experience at Mr. B’s under her belt and had decided that she wanted to be higher up in the ladder that is the business world. She had so many ideas, ways to make things better, smoother, and she was certain that she could change everything. Maizey missed being so certain that she knew what she wanted. 

Then life had happened. She had lost faith in herself. She had started drinking more, skipping class, and hating herself for the decisions she was making. She stopped going to college only 10 credits shy of her AA. Maizey knew that she could go back, finish the degree, maybe go on to get a bachelor’s. But she didn’t want to do anything in business anymore. She didn’t know what she wanted. 

Maizey arrived at the bridge, the one she had been to so many times before. She leaned against the railing, watching the water rushing below. If she jumped, it was very unlikely that the fall would kill her. It was much more likely that the clothes she was wearing would drag her down, she would get hypothermia, and drown. Not a nice way to go. 

A cold wind blew and, despite the coat Gebra had lent her, Maizey shivered. She wondered what her life could have been. Who she could have been. She leaned forwards slightly, staring into the dark water as if it had an answer to her problems. When nothing happened, she leaned back, shoving her hands into the coat pockets again. This time, she realized that there was something in the left pocket. 

She extracted a folded piece of paper, and by the streetlight at the end of the bridge, could make out her name scrawled across it. She stepped back from the edge of the bridge, positioning herself under the streetlight so she could read it. 

_Maizey-_  
Remember that we love you. I don’t know what’s going on, but you seem to be having a hard day. If you need anything, we’re here for you. Me, Mike, and Gene all care about you.  
~Gebra 

There was a small heart drawn next to Gebra’s name, which was sweet and such a Gebra thing to do, that Maizey actually smiled slightly. She reread the note, then put it back into her pocket. She was going to go home. She didn’t want to be on that cold bridge anymore.

The bus ride home was uneventful, and it wasn’t long before Maizey was back in her apartment, changing into sweats and climbing into bed. She still felt kind of empty, still felt her past decisions like a weight on her shoulders, but it was a little less suffocating. She had the day off, tomorrow. Maybe she would feel better after that. 

Before turning off the lights, she sent a quick text to Gebra.

_Made it home safe. Thank you._

Then, as if to punctuate her message, Maizey sent a heart emoji. She hoped that conveyed as much as she wanted it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, not a happy one. Hope you guys liked it, though.  
> Fun fact, I'm headed to talk to my advisor tomorrow about working towards a transferable Associates in business, which is what Maizey almost had.  
> Anyways, let me know what you thought!


	8. Love What You Have (And You'll Have More Love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maizey runs into Gebra on her day off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Past Death in Family, General Depression

Sleep was not a cure-all. Maizey knew this, but it was still disappointing to wake up feeling nearly the same as she had the night before. It was later in the day than when she usually had to wake up, her phone showed the time as being 9:23 am, and there was grey light coming through her windows. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She could hear rain hitting the windows, and in different circumstances, it would be peaceful. Right now it was just lonely. 

Despite the urge to just lay in bed all day, Maizey dragged herself out from under the warm covers and into her bathroom to clean up. She showered, thankful that the water heater was working again, and brushed her teeth. She pulled her wet hair into a braid, then pulled on an old pair of jeans and a large purple sweatshirt with **Belvidere Community College** across the front in bold white font. It hung loosely on her, at least two sizes too big. It didn’t help that Maizey’s build was what one would only be able to describe as gangly, and therefore the clothes that fit her lengthwise were too large in the collar and shoulders. Maizey found her old pair of yellow rainboots in her closet and tugged them on over two pairs of socks. Then she dug out her old green, yellow, and red tri-color raincoat, tugging it on over her sweatshirt. 

She grabbed her old canvas drawstring backpack and tossed in the library books which had been sitting on her counter, waiting to be returned. They were several days overdue now. Maizey also tossed in her wallet, a granola bar, and her pepper spray which she always carried when she went out. Then she left, locking her apartment door behind her. 

The walk to the bus stop wasn’t unpleasant. Despite how Maizey was feeling, the fresh air felt good, less suffocating than her musty apartment, and it woke her up a little bit. She’d been especially tired lately, seeing as her coffee machine had broken a few weeks back. On work days it was fine, she just drank the shitty breakroom coffee, but on days off she missed it. The rain pattered down around her, and she was glad that she had dressed for the weather for once in her life. 

She got to the bus stop, and the bus pulled in moments later. She greeted the driver and found a window seat to sit in. She loved watching the world pass by. That was something that had not changed since she was a child. In fact, she could remember riding the bus with her mother when she was ten or so, her mom had also liked to watch the world outside, and would point out interesting things they passed. She and Maizey would make up stories about the people walking down the street outside, sometimes they were mundane, but sometimes Maizey’s mom would create fantastical tales to entertain her daughter. Maizey still remembered bits and pieces of some of the stories. Tales of wizards and princesses and little girls who got whisked away on adventures. Maizey missed her mom.

The bus pulled to a stop and Maizey stood, gathering her bag and pulling her hood back up. The rain was growing heavier and the clouds were becoming darker, the promise of a thunderstorm looming over the city. Maizey tucked her canvas backpack under her oversized raincoat, hoping to keep the books from getting too wet, and quickened her pace. The library was very close, and she arrived shortly. Her first stop was the book drop to return the books, the second was to pay off the late fee, which was only a dollar and some cents in total. She picked up a hold, a book titled “First Test”, then headed back out. 

She was considering what to do next when she bumped into someone. “Oh, sorry,” She said, distractedly. 

“Maizey?” 

Maizey turned to look at the person. It was Gebra. “Oh, hey,” Maizey smiled at her. “What’s up?” 

“I was just picking up some milk,” She gestured to the corner store down the street. “I forgot to get it yesterday. What about you?”

“I was dropping off some books, now I’m not sure,” She shrugged slightly, and readjusted her hood. 

“If you want to, you can come hang out with me,” Gebra offered. “Gene’s at work this morning and school later, so I’ve got the apartment to myself. It gets kind of lonely,” 

“Really? Sure,” Maizey was glad to have something to do besides sit around her house. 

“Awesome! Let’s go buy some milk,” Gebra started walking towards the corner store and Maizey fell in step beside her. “How are you doing?” Gebra asked after a moment. 

“I’m fine,” Maizey replied automatically. 

Gebra frowned slightly, glancing up at Maizey. “Are you really? I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but you seemed pretty unhappy yesterday… I was worried about you,” 

“Sorry to make you worry,” Maizey replied sincerely, “I just… I have bad days, and sometimes they aren’t just days, they’re bad weeks and bad months. It’s no big deal, I’m used to it now,”

Gebra considered this, concern evident on her face. “That’s not something you should have to get used to, Maizey,” She paused for a moment. “Are you doing okay now?”

“A little better,” Maizey shrugged, “I don’t know, I’ve felt kinda lost lately. I mean, for a long time, but bad days make me think about it more,” 

Gebra nodded. “Maizey, what’s something you miss doing?” 

“What?” Maizey asked, surprised at the change of topic. 

“What’s something you loved to do, but you don’t do anymore? Something you miss?” Gebra was watching Maizey closely. 

“Oh, uh…” Maizey thought for a moment. “Baking. I used to bake with my mom, she was really good. I haven’t made anything in years, now,” 

“Baking,” Gebra repeated, smiling slightly.

“Yeah,” Maizey couldn’t say she understood what was happening. 

They arrived at the corner store and Maizey held the door for Gebra, then followed her to pick up milk. Then Gebra went to the candy aisle and grabbed several bags of M&M’s. 

“Do you want anything to drink? I’m going to grab an iced tea,” Gebra said, going to the fridge with bottled coffees and teas. 

“Oh, I’m good, thank you though,” Maizey replied. 

Gebra raised her eyebrows and grabbed a bottled iced coffee along with her tea. “Maizey, I rarely see you without coffee, and it’s pretty clear you haven’t had any today,” 

“Thanks,” Maizey mumbled, smiling slightly. 

Gebra waved her off and paid for everything. Maizey grabbed the bags before Gebra could, and Gebra rolled her eyes but was still smiling. 

The walk back to Gebra’s apartment was short and filled with lighthearted conversation between the two, mostly about dogs after they had passed a particularly cute labrador. Apparently, Gebra wanted to own a samoyed one day, although she wanted to wait until she had a house with a yard. Maizey had told her about the chihuahua her family had owned when she was little. 

Once inside, Maizey pulled her rain boots off and hung up her raincoat to avoid tracking water into the apartment before setting the bags on the counter. 

“Belvidere Community College?” Gebra asked, putting the milk away. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Maizey had forgotten that she was wearing that sweatshirt. “I used to go there,” 

“Let me guess…” Gebra pretended to be deep in thought. “Psych Major?” 

Maizey snorted. “Yeah, because I’m super attuned to my emotions. Business, actually. Almost got my AA, but uh… yeah,” 

“Business? Wow, fancy,” Gebra grinned, not pushing the subject. She pulled out the M&M’s, then started rooting through the cabinets, pulling out flour, vanilla, baking soda, and several other ingredients. 

“What are you doing?” Maizey asked, leaning on the counter. 

“We,” Gebra said, pulling out butter and eggs. “Are going to bake,” She turned to look at Maizey. “You said you missed baking, so why not do it?”

Maizey stared at Gebra for a moment. She was so damn lucky to know Gebra. “Yeah, why not?” She smiled at Gebra. 

“Exactly!” Gebra replied, returning Maizey’s smile. “Now let’s get to it,” 

Maizey joined Gebra at the counter, she started with the dry ingredients while Gebra took the wet ingredients. They continued the light conversation from earlier as they made the dough. Gebra told Maizey more about growing up in Idaho, mostly what school was like for her.

“Were you a popular kid?” Maizey asked with a smile. 

“God no,” Gebra laughed. “I wasn’t exactly unpopular, but I wasn’t the queen bee. I was in the school community service club and the GSA, neither really gained you popularity,”

“You’re gay?” Maizey asked, hoping she didn’t sound too hopeful. “Sorry, if you don’t mind me asking,” 

“Yeah, I am,” Gebra replied, glancing at Maizey.

“Me too,” Maizey smiled at Gebra. “I wasn’t in the GSA, though. I’m not even sure my school had one,”

“I was pretty lucky, we lived in a pretty accepting area,” Gebra explained.

They talked about high school for a while, although Maizey didn’t have much to say about it. She didn’t want to think too much about that part of her life.

“I hope you don’t mind doing M&M cookies,” Gebra remarked, changing the subject. She was getting ready to pour the aforementioned candies into the dough.

“Not at all,” Maizey stirred in the M&M’s. “My mom and I used to make these all the time. Every time there was a new kind of M&M we would buy it to make a new version,” 

“I guess I made a good decision then,” Gebra’s voice softened. “She sounds like she was a wonderful woman,” 

“She was,” Maizey replied, starting to put dough on the cookie sheet. “She really loved me, too. She was so smart, but she didn’t get to go to college. I think she would be disappointed in me,”

“Why would you think that?” Gebra asked, her eyebrows drawn together slightly. 

“I dropped out,” Maizey put the cookies into the oven. “I had a chance she didn’t get, and I blew it,” 

“I think she would only care if you’re happy, Maizey,” Gebra turned to look Maizey in the eyes. “Are you happy?” 

“Sometimes,” Maizey replied. “I’m happy when I’m with you, or Mike, or Gene,” 

“And the rest of the time?” Gebra asked quietly.

“Not so much,” Maizey frowned slightly. “I kind of set myself up for that, though. So it’s really my own fault,”

“You can’t blame yourself for everything,” Gebra tilted her head slightly, thinking. “You don’t deserve that. We’re all just doing our best,”

“Maybe. I don’t know that I’ve done my best in a long time, though,” Maizey replied. 

“Maybe it’s time to start?” Gebra suggested, then shrugged. “I don’t know, but think about what makes you happy Maizey, make sure to have whatever that is in your life.” 

“You make me happy,” Maizey said before she could think about it. 

Gebra smiled softly and put a hand on Maizey’s arm. “I’m glad I can make you happy, you deserve happiness,” She gently pulled Maizey into a hug, which Mazey leaned into, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman. 

Maizey realized that it had been a long time since she had been hugged last. She missed this feeling. Feeling like she was safe, like someone loved her, like she mattered; it wasn’t something she was used to. It felt like home. Gebra didn’t pull away and neither did Maizey. She didn’t want this moment to end. Her face felt warm and there was a lump in her throat. She rested her chin on top of Gebra’s head, trying to swallow back the tears that she felt welling up. Maybe it was sad, that something as simple as someone caring about her made her want to cry. 

Gebra pulled back slightly to look up at Maizey. “You don’t have to be alone, you know that, right? I’m here if you ever need someone,” 

Maizey nodded, and a tear slid down her cheek. She turned away, swiping it off of her face. She hadn’t cried in front of anyone in a long, long time. 

Gebra put her arms out, offering another hug, but not forcing it. Maizey immediately took the offer. There were no more tears, but she relished in the feeling of safety and belonging that came with being around Gebra. They didn’t stop hugging until the timer went off, proclaiming that the cookies were done. 

Gebra pulled back and smiled up a Maizey. “It’s all going to work out, Maizey. I promise,” 

Maizey nodded, and Gebra found a potholder to pull the cookies out with. Maizey wondered how she had gotten so lucky to have Gebra in her life. Somewhere along the way, something had gone right, because she knew such a wonderful woman. Because if Maizey got to bake cookies with someone as brilliant as Gebra, she would have had to have done at least one thing good in her life to deserve that. 

The two of them sat down on the couch to eat the cookies and watch more Queer Eye. As they sat there, Maizey realized that it didn’t feel like a bad day anymore. She didn’t feel suffocated, she wasn’t lost, and she didn’t want to run away. She wanted to stay right here. She wanted to stay by Gebra’s side and never leave. 

“Hey, Gebra?” Maizey said.

“Yeah?” Gebra asked. 

“I’m here for you, too. I just want you to know, you matter to me,” Maizey replied, smiling at Gebra. 

Gebra smiled back and shifted to lean against Maizey’s shoulder. “You matter to me, too,” 

And right now? Maizey felt happy. Everything wasn’t perfect, and she knew it wouldn’t last forever, but right now was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter real quick! It's probably gonna be a while until I update again, just a heads up.  
> Let me know what you thought!  
> Just a note: the Belvidere I depict is not the real Belvidere. Belvidere Community College does not exist, I'm just... doing my own thing here.  
> I have a hotdaga tumblr now @thehotdagaisatruemasterpiece, you can find any art I make for this fic there!  
> Also, I dedicate this chapter to french! love you!!!!


	9. A While Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at the past.

Five Years and Some Months Ago

Maizey was late. Her goddamn car wouldn’t start, the stupid piece of junk just kept making weird noises then refusing to start up. She swore, slamming the door shut, and started down the street to the bus stop. She was trying so hard to do better. Maizey had this crazy idea that maybe, if she actually put some effort into her life, she could get somewhere. Hard work was supposed to pay off.

She managed to catch the bus and flopped down into one of the back seats. Maizey hoped she wouldn’t get in too much trouble for being so late, but the manager, Pam, really seemed to hate Maizey. Maizey had been hired only a year or two before Pam was, making her younger but with more store experience. She wondered if that was why Pam hated her. At least the assistant manager, Mike, was pretty cool. He’d been there a little over a year and, although she hadn’t talked to him much outside of work and staff meetings, he seemed relatively nice. 

The bus pulled up at her stop and Maizey jumped off, taking off down the street at a run. She should still make it in before Pam’s pep talk finished if she hurried. At least she hoped she could. She didn’t run often and was half wheezing by the time she got into the store, but she wasn’t too late. She got into the break room as Pam was saying her last sentence. No one paid her much mind, except Mike who looked over at her and nodded. She took her place at the front of the room after grabbing her clipboard from one of the cupboards. 

“Okay, so, everyone is mostly on the same shifts, except we have… uh…” She scrutinized the notes she had taken the day before. “A new employee,” She glanced up and sure enough, there was a kid, probably around 18, smiling widely at her. She looked back down at her clipboard. “So yeah, you all can get to work, and I’ll talk to you,” She motioned to the new kid. 

People filed out to do their jobs, and the new kid bounced up to the front of the room to talk to Maizey. He stuck out a hand, grinning. “I’m Gene! Gene French-Fries,” 

Maizey shook his hand and smiled back, although hers was much less genuine. “Maizey Masara, I’m the floor supervisor. Looks like you’re customer service,” She paused, glancing down at her clipboard. “So I’m going to have you shadow me at the customer service counter today, just so you can get the hang of it, and tomorrow you should be good on your own,” 

Gene nodded, way too enthusiastic for someone who would be working customer service. “I’m really happy to be working here!’

“I’m sure that will change,” Maizey mumbled under her breath, motioning for Gene to follow her out to the main floor. 

Gene looked at her with an odd expression, but Maizey didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she led the way to the counter where they would be working. “So you’re gonna be doing stuff like taking returns, um, listening to complaints, doing the PA system announcements, you’ll deal with issues that have to do with our rewards program…” She gestured as if to say “and so on…” 

Gene was nodding like she was telling him the nuclear launch codes, not what he would be doing at a generic box store. 

“I hope you like talking to people,” She said as they arrived behind the counter. “You’ll be dealing with a lot of them,”

“I love talking to people! And I love helping them!” Gene was bouncing again. Maizey had no idea how he was so full of energy. 

She stared at him for a moment before smiling. “You might actually not hate this,” 

“I hope not!” He exclaimed, “I want to like my job!”

“Don’t we all,” Maizey sighed. 

There wasn’t much time to talk after that. The store had opened and they had their first customer at the counter. It was a woman who looked like she asked to talk to the manager as much as possible. She wanted to return a heavily used soccer ball because it had deflated when her son kicked it through the window. Gene got to see the part of customer service that included screaming on the customer’s side right away. It didn’t shake him though, and as the fuming woman stalked away, he happily wished her a good day. 

There was a lull after a while, and Maizey leaned back against the counter. “So why are you working here?” 

“I need to pay for school,” Gene replied, setting his elbows on the counter. “I’m going to be a nurse,” 

“Because you like helping people?” Maizey asked, remembering Gene’s earlier comment. 

“Yeah! I think I can do some good stuff, you know?” Gene was smiling again. 

“Yeah,” Maizey didn’t actually know. She was pretty sure she had never done a good thing in her life. 

“What about you?” Gene turned to look at her. 

“What about me?” Maizey raised her eyebrows. 

“Why do you work here?” He clarified.

“I got a job here when I was 16 because I needed money. I just… never left,” She shrugged. 

“Wow, you must really like it here?” Gene looked impressed. 

“I don’t,” She replied. “I just got stuck here,”

“Well if you want to do something else, why don’t you?” Gene seemed genuinely curious. 

“Sometimes life just doesn’t work that way,” Maizey didn’t really want to have this conversation. 

Before Gene could say anything else, Mike approached the counter. “Maizey,” He nodded to her. Then he turned to Gene. “I’m Mike Soup, the assistant manager,” He offered a hand to Gene. 

“I’m Gene!” Gene said brightly, shaking Mike’s hand enthusiastically. 

Mike then passed a small package to Maizey. “Your new name tag,” He explained. 

“Oh, cool,” She pulled the package open and frowned. “I don’t think they’re ever going to get my name right,” She held up the name tag, which read ‘May Zee’. 

“Hm,” Mike considered it. “I’ll put in for a new one when I can,” 

“Thanks, Mike,” Maizey pulled off her current name tag (“Maezie”) and replaced it. 

“If it’s wrong, why do you wear it?” Gene inquired. 

“Store policy, you always have to wear the most recent name tag,” Maizey replied. 

“That’s silly,” Gene commented. “Why would it matter?” 

“No one knows,” Mike told him. “I have to get back to work,” He nodded to the two of them again and walked away. 

“He seems nice!” Gene looked over at Maizey. 

“Yeah, Mike’s pretty cool. If you ever need to talk to a manager, go to him instead of Pam. He’s nicer and he’s just as helpful, actually, he’s more helpful,” 

“Is Pam not nice?” Gene looked concerned. 

Maizey smiled wryly. “She’s a jerk. I’d use stronger language, but she’s my boss and I can’t afford to lose this job. She doesn’t like me,” 

“Why not? You’re awesome,” Gene actually seemed sincere. 

“You’ve only known me for like, four hours,” Maizey pointed out. Gene shrugged. “I’ve worked here longer than her, I think she thinks I’m somehow a threat to her job,” 

“That’s not fair to you, though!” Gene pointed out. He was much too invested in this in Maizey’s opinion. 

“Don’t worry about it, Gene. It’s nice of you to care, but it’s really not worth it,” 

Another customer approached and the conversation was cut off. As she worked with Gene, Maizey found that she liked the kid. He was funny and his optimism was a nice change from what she was used to. She found out that he had a sister, although she immediately forgot her name (was it Jenny? Maybe Jessie? It started with a “J” sound.) Gene also told her all about his life plans, which included being in a band and being the best nurse in the world. He was sweet and he obviously cared a lot about a lot of things. 

They took their lunch break together, although Maizey hadn’t brought a lunch and just bought an instant ramen from the store. Gene talked more about his life, and Maizey gracefully avoided questions about her own. She introduced him to Melba who, interestingly enough, was also working to become a nurse. Melba and Gene got along better than Maizey expected, she had assumed Melba would find Gene’s excitement annoying, but the two of them started talking music, and Maizey let Gene have an extra long lunch break without saying anything. 

It was getting close to the end of Maizey's shift, and Gene was working the customer service counter like a natural. He picked things up quickly and seemed to really enjoy talking to people. Maizey was able to sit back and let him work, which was a nice break from her usual work days. She was about to tell Gene that he could work alone for the last hour, that she would go make sure she had all the jobs filled for the next day, when someone she knew well approached. 

Maizey straightened from where she had been leaning on the counter. “Keira!” She smiled at the woman, who smiled tightly back. 

“Maizey, uh, hey,” Keira glanced at Gene, who opened his mouth to introduce himself, but she spoke before he could. “Someone said I could find you here,”

“I’m off work soon if you want to get dinner or something?” Maizey offered, hopefully. 

“Yeah, uh, no,” Keira looked uncomfortable. “We need to stop,” 

“What?” Maizey was taken aback. 

“We need to break up,” Keira clarified, nodding at her own statement. 

“Why?” Maizey’s mind raced. 

“You never want to do anything anymore. You’re always working, Maizey, and I just, I dunno, I’m bored with this,” She shrugged. 

“You had to do this _now_?” Maizey asked, she was angry, but she was sad, too. 

“Well I got asked out, I’ve got a date tonight, I don’t want to be cheating on you,” Keira explained, like that made it better. 

“Okay,” Maizey nodded. 

“Okay?” Keira asked. “We’re cool?” She was smiling, but it was insincere. 

“No,” Maizey replied incredulously. “We aren’t cool, but I’m working, and unless you have a customer service issue, you need to go.” 

Keira frowned. “Yeah, okay. Whatever, bye Maizey,” She paused. “Sorry, I hope stuff works out for you,” Then she left. 

Maizey stared after her wordlessly.

Gene was watching Maizey closely. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” She cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s fine. I knew it was coming,” She didn’t, but she should’ve. 

“Are you sure?” Gene patted her arm in an attempt to be comforting. 

“I really appreciate the sentiment, Gene,” She tried to sound sincere. “But I’m fine,” 

“Well,” Gene considered. “My sister’s single and she’s really nice. She wouldn’t break up with you at a grocery store,” 

Maizey snorted at that. “She sounds great, Gene. Do you think you can handle the counter until your shift ends? I need to, uh…”

“Yeah, I got this! Maizey, if you need to talk, I know we just met, but… well, you didn’t deserve that,” Gene offered a hesitant smile, which Maizey did her best to return. 

She left the customer service counter and went straight to the employee bathrooms. Maizey had once promised herself that she would never be someone who cried in the bathroom at work, but she hadn’t planned on being dumped during her shift either. 

She emerged from the bathroom sometime later after doing her best to not look like she had just been crying. She obviously was not successful, because she ran into Mike on the way out and he drew his eyebrows together in concern. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” She waved him off. “Yeah, I’m fine,”

“Are you sure?” He asked, watching her closely. 

“I just uh, got dumped,” She cleared her throat. “It’s fine, though, I saw it coming,” 

Mike considered her reply for a moment. “Do you want to get something to eat? I was thinking about going out anyways,”

Maizey was taken aback at the offer. If it wasn’t Mike, she would’ve assumed it was a poorly timed flirtation, but she knew that wasn’t his style. “Yeah,” she replied before she could think better of it. “Yes, thank you,” 

He offered to drive, which she gladly accepted since her car was still at her apartment and not starting. He told her his car was named Minestrone, which she found to be very funny. They ended up at a little diner that was an hour from closing and served breakfast all day. 

Maizey had pancakes and Mike had a full breakfast spread. They talked about music and books and avoided any subject deeper than their birthdays. Maizey offered her eggs to Mike and he offered his hashbrowns to her in return. They discussed work for a short time, and then Maizey explained her car troubles to Mike, who had a solution, amazingly enough. She didn’t mention Keira, and Mike didn’t ask. 

When she left the diner, she didn’t know much more about Mike than she had before, but she still felt a little closer to him. He offered to drive her home, but she waved him off. There was a bus stop right there, and the bus would be there in only a few minutes. When she got home, she would feel awful again. She would wonder what she had done to ruin everything with Keira, although realistically, she knew that a big part of why their relationship ended was that she had just stopped drinking. Keira loved going to clubs and bars, and the fact the Maizey didn’t anymore meant they were drifting apart. It didn’t mean Keira had to come to Maizey’s job to break up with her. 

At least she had friends at work. Or maybe it was kind of sad that all her friends were people who were required to be around her for some portion of the day. She sighed, watching the bus pull up. Oh well, at least the day was done. She’d be back tomorrow, but today was done. She climbed onto the bus and leaned her head against the window. Something had to change. She couldn’t be doing the same thing in five years. Something had to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have uhhhh depression.


	10. The Best Conversations Happen In Diners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inventory Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Illusions_and_reality for being my wonderful beta and just an amazing person!

Maizey hates inventory day. It’s just hours of counting and marking and staring at a clipboard. She was teamed up with Mike, working on their portion of the store, and it felt like they had been working forever. 

Maizey rhythmically hit her clipboard against her head, grumbling. No matter how long she worked at this stupid store, she would always hate inventory day.

“How many boxes of printer ink were there?” Mike asked, then paused, raising an eyebrow at Maizey. 

“Forty-six,” She replied, continuing the rhythm. 

Mike made a note, then grabbed the clipboard out of Maizey’s hands. “If you keep doing that you’ll kill more brain cells than working here already has,”

She made a face at him and he raised both his eyebrows. “We’re almost done, just this aisle and then no more inventory,”

“Yeah,” She drew the word out childishly. “But then we have the meeting,”

“It’s not that bad,” Mike commented, sorting through a box filled with reams of paper. “It’s just the check in, no new training or anything,” 

“Pam’s gonna find something about my performance that she as an issue with,” Maizey pointed out.

“And I’ll stand up for you,” Mike replied, his tone was patient like he was dealing with a 10-year-old rather than a 28-year-old. “Maizey, have I ever let Pam get away with nitpicking when it comes to your performance?”

“No,” Maizey sighed. “Thanks, Mike,”

“It’s no problem,” He made a mark on his chart. “Maizey, you and I both know that you are good at your job and that Pam doesn’t like you because you’ve worked here longer than her. She sees you as a threat, and she really wants to get promoted,”

“I don’t even have a degree,” Maizey knelt down to start counting the packages of pens. “She does, she has no reason to be worried about me taking her job,” 

Mike shrugged. “I can’t say I understand Pam,”

Maizey looked at him, expecting more.

“There’s no ‘but’ I just don’t understand her,” Mike elaborated. 

“Oh,” Maizey considered that. “Can I have my clipboard back?”

Mike handed it back over and the two of them got back to work. It wasn’t all that long before they had finished inventorying their section, and were headed to Pam’s office for the meeting. It was between supervisors, so it was only the manager (Pam), the assistant manager (Mike), the day shift floor supervisor (Maizey), and the night shift floor supervisor (Melba). They only met once a month, and only had in-depth meetings every other month. This time it was a casual meeting to check in, just to talk job performance and see if there are any issues that needed to be brought up. 

When Mike and Maizey entered, Pam was seated behind her desk and Melba was in one of the chairs facing her. Melba smiled at them and Maizey took the seat next to her, placing herself in the middle of Melba and Mike. 

Pam looked up from her computer and turned the screen off. “Okay,” She looked all three of them over. “Mike, did you bring the productivity reports?” 

Mike had, and they got started, looking over the reports, discussing how to better arrange the staff for the best results, and talked about changes that could be made to make everything run smoother.

Near the end, Pam moved on to discuss each of their personal performances. Mike and Melba both got vague compliments, citing their customer service and leading styles. 

“Now, Maizey,” Pam said, turning her attention to Maizey, who schooled her face not to show any emotions. “There have been some complaints about your customer service,” She pulled out several slips of paper. “There are several comments about your apathetic demeanor, as well as one specific one from a man who said you refused to help him,” 

Maizey usually just sat through Pam’s comments, but this time she had to defend herself. “He was staring at my chest during our whole conversation. I wasn’t rude but I asked Steven to take over helping him,” 

“Which was probably nicer than he deserved,” Mike commented, raising his eyebrows at Pam in a silent challenge.

“Hm,” Pam sounded like she would like to say more, but moved on. “I’ve also noticed that you’ve been assigning yourself to work with Gebra French-Fries almost daily, which isn’t a responsible use of your-”

“Now wait just a minute,” Melba cut Pam off. “We’ve all assigned shifts to be with specific people. I’ve done it about a thousand times to work with Steven, and you’ve never said one thing. Now there are several explanations for you singling Maizey out. One is that you just don’t like her, which is entirely unfair and a conflict of interest. Two could be that you really think it’s only her doing this, and I’m here to tell you it’s not, so we can just move on now if that’s the case. Or maybe,” Melba leaned forwards slightly, holding Pam’s gaze. “You’re just homophobic,” 

Maizey opened her mouth to say that she and Gebra weren’t dating, but Pam spoke before she could. “Of course I’m not! I just…” She looked between the three of them. “I just…” 

“I think this meeting is over,” Mike said, standing up. “Maizey hasn’t done anything that any of us haven’t done. There is no reason for you to be singling her out,” With that, he left. Maizey and Melba followed him out of Pam’s office. 

Once they were down the hall a ways, Maizey spoke. “Thanks, Melba. But I’m uh, not dating Gebra,” 

“Oh, yes, I know,” Melba replied, waving a hand. “But you should.” 

“Oh, um,” Maizey cleared her throat, awkwardly. “Thanks, I guess?”

Melba smiled at Maizey and patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll see you two around,” She nodded to Mike and walked away. 

“She’s uh,” Maizey glanced in the direction that Melba had gone. “She’s a good friend,” 

Mike nodded slowly. “She is certainly that. I’m sorry I didn’t stop Pam earlier,” 

“It’s fine,” Maizey shrugged. “If she doesn’t get some of it out during these meetings she’s worse for the rest of the month,”

“Still,” Mike checked his watch. “Would you want to get something to eat?”

“Sure,” Maizey smiled at Mike. “I’d love to,”

The two got into Minestrone, and Mike drove them to a small diner. It was obviously supposed to feel like a 50’s diner, but everything was slightly off when it came to the decade they were from. The two of them took a seat on stools at a raised table.

“So,” Mike looked around awkwardly. 

“So?” Maizey asked. 

A waitress made her way over and took their orders. (They both got burgers and fries, although Mike got a soda and Maizey got a vanilla milkshake). After the waitress left, Maizey raised her eyebrows at Mike, prompting him to continue with whatever he had been saying. 

“I’ll be meeting with Ernie this weekend,” He was watching the table rather than looking at Maizey. 

“That’s good,” Maizey studied him carefully. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m… nervous. The last time we saw each other I was, well, a few years younger than you are,” He fidgeted with his napkin. “It’s been over a decade, now.” 

“Do you miss him?” Maizey asked, slightly uncertain about the question. 

Mike looked over a Maizey. “Yes. Every day since he left,” He cleared his throat. “I’ve wanted to see him again for so long, he’s… Ernie was the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t believe that I’m getting a second chance,”

“You really care about him,” Maizey observed with a slight smile. “It’s good you’ll be seeing him again,”

“Yes, but, well,” Mike frowned. “What if I mess things up between the two of us. It’s my fault we fell out of touch for so long. When… when he left the airforce I um, I wasn’t happy about it. We had an argument his last night and, I still feel awful,” 

“Hey, Mike,” Maizey’s tone was reassuring. “You clearly really, really care. I think you’re going to be fine. Ernie reached out to you, right?” Mike nodded and Maizey continued. “Then he obviously cares about you, too. It’s going to work out,” 

Mike smiled slightly at Maizey. “Thank you, Maizey, For listening to me,” 

“Of course,” Maizey smiled back.

The waitress returned with their food, and Maizey immediately dipped several fries in her milkshake, shoving them into her mouth. Mike raised his eyebrows at her and she returned the gesture. 

“It’s good,” She defended. “And I haven’t eaten today,” 

“It’s not my cup of tea,” Mike comments, then frowns. “Do you miss meals often?” 

“I don’t exactly have a ton of money,” Maizey explained, taking a bite of her burger. “Near the end of the month, I start running low. I’ve been working on budgeting more, but it means I don’t always have lunch. Or breakfast,” 

“If you…” Mike trailed off, his eyebrows drawn together. “I don’t want to overstep, but if you need anything, I am here for you,” 

Maizey sighed. “I appreciate it, Mike, but I’m alright,” 

Mike let the subject drop, and they moved on to lighter topics, like the true crime documentary series they had both been watching. By the time they finished, they were both feeling happier and more relaxed than they had in the last few days. As was becoming usual, Mike drove Maizey home and dropped her off. She watched him drive away with a smile. She hoped everything would go well with Ernie. Mike deserved to have someone he clearly loved so much back in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Come Up To Meet You, Tell You I'm Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reconciliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my wonderful beta Illusions_and_reality, they're a big part of why this is done on time.   
> Title is from The Scientist by Coldplay which I listened to many times while writing this.

Michael Soup was not a nervous man. He had been in a war, seen people around him die, been kicked out by his own family, and gotten through all of it. He had been fired at with guns and that hadn’t made him nervous. It had been terrifying, but it hadn’t made him _nervous_. Yet, here he was, sitting in a coffee shop, nervously waiting for his old friend, the man he had loved, and maybe still did. 

Mike had had a lot of time to think about everything that happened between himself and Ernie. He had berated himself for everything he had said before Ernie left. They had argued over Ernie leaving, Mike had felt alone and lost, and had taken it out on the other man. He wished he could go back in time and stop himself from saying any of it. He should have been happy for Ernie; he had gotten into a prestigious law school on scholarship, he had things set for a life outside of the military. That had been hard for Mike. He had never imagined a life outside of the home he and Ernie had created there in the air force. He had somehow thought that getting angry would keep Ernie with him, but instead, he hadn’t seen the other man for a decade. He had lost what mattered most to him. 

Mike frowned down at his coffee. Part of him wanted to leave, to not even try. If he didn’t try, it wouldn’t hurt when he failed. But if he did his best, and his best wasn’t enough? Mike wasn’t sure if he could handle it. He sighed. He also knew he couldn’t handle it if he didn’t try at all. He couldn’t do that to Ernie, not after Ernie had gone out of his way to see Mike again. His phone buzzed and he actually startled slightly. There was a message from Maizey, a picture of her, Gene, and Gebra next to the monogrammed Christmas stockings the store sold. They had rearranged the stockings to read “U CAN DO IT” and were all posing in goofy ways. Maizey was wearing a pair of sunglasses that Mike recognized as being taken from one of their displays: a snowman wearing sunglasses with a sign that said something along the lines of “Stay Cool This Season With Member Savings”. He smiled, momentarily distracted from his nerves. He was glad that he had gotten closer to Maizey and Gene, and that he had met Gebra. He was lucky to have friends like them. 

He was still smiling down at the picture on his phone when the bell above the door to the coffee shop rang. Mike glanced up and there he was. Ernesto Gordon Goondis. All of Mike’s nervousness came rushing back, but he stayed where he was seated. He wasn’t letting Ernie go this time. He took a deep breath and waved to the other man, drawing his attention. Ernie saw him and smiled widely, waving back. He crossed the coffee shop to the corner table Mike had claimed for the two of them. Mike rose to his feet, uncertain of how to greet his old friend, but didn’t have to think about that for long. The moment he was close enough, Ernie scooped Mike into a tight hug. Suddenly, it was like no time had passed. It was like Mike was 21 again, like when he and Ernie had just gotten together and every time they saw each other was a new amazing, beautiful moment. 

Mike hugged Ernie back tightly, wishing they could just do this. Wishing they didn’t have to think about the bad things, wishing they could just hold each other like they had all those years ago. But that is not the way of the world, and they had to let go of each other. 

Mike stepped back, clearing his throat, “It’s… It’s good to see you,” 

Ernie smiled fondly down at Mike. “It’s good to see you, too,” 

They just smiled at one another for a moment, just happy to be together once more. Mike broke the silence, “I’m sorry,” He looked down, not wanting to meet Ernie’s gaze. “About everything before. I… You didn’t deserve any of that, I was selfish, and I was only thinking of myself. You’re a good person, Ernie, I should have supported you,” 

Ernie shook his head, his smile was gone and he looked a little sad, “Mike,” He spoke softly as if he was afraid he would scare Mike away. “It’s okay. You don’t have to blame yourself,” He tilted his head, trying to make eye contact with Mike. “Have you been blaming yourself all these years?” 

Mike looked up, surprised that Ernie didn’t seem to be upset with him. “It was my fault,” He felt more emotional than he usually likes to feel. “Ernie it’s all been my fault. I lost you for… for over ten years because I couldn’t act like an adult,” He looked down again, wishing he could ignore the tightness in his chest. 

Ernie rested a hand on Mike’s shoulder, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up at the other man. “Mike,” When Mike didn’t look up, Ernie squeezed his shoulder slightly. “Mike, look at me,” Ernie had said that, in that exact tone, so many times when they were together, that hearing it now almost hurt. Mike did look at him, though. “Mike, you have to believe me when I say this,” Ernie paused to make sure Mike was listening. “I don’t blame you. I could have said something earlier, I said things I regret, too. I’m at fault as much as you. Do you blame me?” 

“No,” And it was true, even when he had tried to be mad at Ernie, Mike had only ever been able to be mad at himself. “I never have,”

Ernie nodded. “Then all that matters is that we have each other again now,” 

This time, it was Mike who pulled Ernie into a hug. He didn’t trust himself to talk at that moment. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Mike couldn’t see Ernie’s expression from where his face was pressed against Ernie’s chest, but he could hear remorse in his voice. “I’ve missed you so much, Mike,” 

“I’ve missed you, too,” Mike’s voice was muffled by the fabric of Ernie’s coat, but Ernie hummed in acknowledgment. 

After a few moments of hugging, they pulled away from each other, smiling. 

Ernie cleared his throat and gestured toward the counter. “I should probably, uh, order something,”

“Yeah,” Mike agreed. “I’ll just be here,” 

Ernie smiled and headed to get his coffee. Mike sat down with a relieved sigh. The worst part was over--the anticipation. He checked his phone again and there was another text from Maizey. This time it was a picture of her with the snowman that she had stolen the sunglasses from. The text read “Hope he didn’t murder you :(“. Mike shook his head with a slight smile. He had just replied with “Not yet,” when Ernie returned and sat down across from Mike. 

“So, what have you been up to? What are you doing for work?” Ernie actually sounded interested in what Mike had been doing. 

“Oh, well,” Mike took a sip of his coffee, wishing he had a cooler job. He rarely thought about that. “I’m the assistant manager at the Mr. B’s down the road, it’s far from glamorous, but it pays the bills,” 

“Do you have anything you do outside of work?” Ernie looked slightly concerned that Mike’s answer would be no. 

“Yes, I have several friends. We went bowling awhile back and I get dinner with Maizey sometimes,” Mike felt slightly proud of this statement.

“Good,” Ernie was smiling again, the same fond look in his eyes as earlier. “I’m glad you aren’t isolating yourself,” 

“I was,” Mike says it before he thinks better of it, “I was for a long time, but things changed. I got to know Maizey better, she’s the floor supervisor, and a few of the others. I think you’d like them,”

“I’m sure I would,” Ernie replied, taking a sip of his own coffee. 

“What about you?” Mike had some idea of what Ernie had been up to, but he wanted to know more.

“Well, I got my law degree, you know that. I’ve been working at a law firm in Boston for the last nine years. It wasn’t bad, but well… “ He trailed off, glancing out the window. 

“Ernie?” Mike asked, wondering why he had stopped there. 

“I quit, Mike,” Ernie explained. “I wasn’t… happy there. It was fine, but… I became a lawyer because I want to help people, and I wasn’t doing that,”

“Oh,” Mike was slightly surprised. Ernie had always been more spontaneous than he was, but he didn’t expect that. “What are you going to do now?”

Ernie took another sip of his coffee, then cleared his throat slightly. “I thought, maybe, I’d move here.”

“Here?” Mike exclaimed, both excited and surprised. 

“Yes, well,” Ernie looked uncertain. “I actually already ended my lease at my apartment. I drove out here, I have all my stuff in my car,” 

Mike tried to figure out how to reply, a million thoughts running through his head. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“Not yet, I figured I’d get a hotel room and then lo-” 

“I have an extra room,” Mike cut Ernie’s sentence off, then backtracked. “Of course, if you aren’t comfortable with that I completely under-”

“I’d like that!” This time it was Ernie that cut Mike off. “If you’re certain, I would like to stay with you,” 

“I am,” Mike replied, smiling. “Certain, that is. I am certain,” 

“Good,” Ernie was smiling, too. “I’ve missed you,”

“I’ve missed you, too,” Mike replied. “I’m-” He stopped himself from apologizing again, and changed track. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” Ernie took another sip of his coffee. 

The talked about simple things while they finished their drinks. Mike told Ernie more about his life in Belvidere and showed him several pictures of Leeks. Ernie told Mike about one of the last cases he worked on, a long and complicated one regarding a large company and their lack of accessibility. Ernie had taken lead on it, but they hadn’t won, instead, they had had to settle. Ernie was still disappointed that he hadn’t been able to win that case. Mike was impressed anyways, he would never be able to stand up and argue in front of a whole courtroom. 

They finished and headed out. It was a cold, cloudy day, but it wasn’t raining. Rather than go straight to Mike’s apartment, they walked down the block. There was a park nearby that they found themselves in, walking down the pathway lined by leaves and now bare trees. The two walked in silence for some time, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable, just comfortable. If Mike closed his eyes, be might be able to believe that no time had passed at all. Some part of him wanted to reach out and take Ernie’s hand, just to be closer to the other man, but he refrained from the urge. 

“Do you really think you’ll be happier here?” The question had been in the back of his mind since Ernie said he was done with Boston. 

Ernie smiled down at Mike but thought for a moment before replying. “I do. I think I need a change, and it helps that you’re here. I suppose if this hadn’t gone well I would have found somewhere else but… I wasn’t going to leave until we reconciled. I couldn’t let myself do that, not again.”

“Really?” That wasn’t quite what Mike was expecting.

Ernie’s smile softened slightly. “I’ve thought about you a lot. Ever since the moment I left I’ve wished I had stayed. That we had talked through everything,” He sighed. “I know I can’t change the past but I would do anything to have had you in my life the last 13 years,”

“I would, too.” Mike smiled somewhat sadly up at Ernie. “I’ve missed you,” 

“I know. I’ve missed you, too,” Ernie replied. 

This time Mike gave into the urge to hold Ernie’s hand, reaching out and threading their fingers together between them. Ernie squeezed his hand tightly before relaxing into a comfortable hold. The two walked a while longer, hand in hand, before returning to where they were parked. Mike was reluctant to let go, but the two of them had to drive separately to Mike’s apartment, so he slid his hand out of Ernie’s. 

Mike gave him the address, but before they could leave, Ernie pulled him into a tight hug. 

“It’s good to have you back, Mike,” He said it softly, and Mike’s heart skipped a beat. 

Mike had to clear his throat before replying, he suddenly felt very emotional. “You too, Ernie. You too,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have the next chapter up by next Sunday. Let me know what you think!


	12. Long Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maizey works a long shift.

Maizey had a long shift. Melba had asked if she could take the evening shift, being out of options after being turned down by several others, and Maizey had agreed. It meant she wouldn’t get home until sometime around midnight, but Melba was a good friend of hers so she didn’t mind. Mike was out, meeting up with his old friend Ernie, and Pam was working on some reports, so Maizey was, for the most part, in charge on the main floor. She did what any good floor supervisor would do: she goofed off with her friends.

It started because of that stupid snowman display. Maizey had put the same savings display up every year since she was 16, and every year she thought it was stupid. 

“Why does a snowman need sunglasses?” She was complaining to Gebra as the two of them set it up. “It doesn’t have ears to hold them up, what’s the point?”

“Maizey,” Gebra said, eyebrows raised. 

“It’s a snowman, who puts sunglasses on a snowman?”

“Maizey,” Gebra repeated.

“Sunglasses aren’t going to keep the snowman cool, it’ll still melt.” 

“Maizey!” Gebra exclaimed, trying not to laugh.

“Huh?” Maizey finally looked up from where she was connecting the arm to the snowman.

“You’ve been complaining about the snowman’s sunglasses for the last fifteen minutes,” Gebra pointed out, slightly exasperated but still smiling. 

“It frustrates me. I’ve put up this damn snowman for the last twelve years, and I’ve taken it down for the last twelve years, and in all of those years I have yet to understand why a snowman needs sunglasses,” Maizey jammed the other arm into the snowman’s body.

Gebra stuck the carrot nose in the snowman’s face. “I think,” She picked up the sunglasses. “You are frustrated with monotony, not with the snowman.” She slid the sunglasses onto Maizey’s face. 

Maizey raised her eyebrows and readjusted the sunglasses. “I’d prefer to think I’m frustrated with the snowman, the alternative is too sad,” She flipped her braid over her shoulder. “Do I look cool?”

“Very,” Gebra replied, smiling. 

“Good. I’m keeping them,” She slid the sunglasses down slightly, winked at Gebra, and put them back on. 

“I’m swooning,” Gebra winked back. “Would someone as cool as yourself accompany me to stock the Christmas stockings?”

“That would be, uh, groovy,” Maizey attempted to sound suave. 

“Groovy?” Gebra snorted. “That’s the absolute coolest thing you could say?” 

“You know it, baby,” Maizey winked again and Gebra laughed. 

The two of them found the boxes of stockings and brought them out to the holiday aisle where they began hanging them. They’d only been working for a minute when Gene joined them.

“Hey, guys!” He was as chipper as ever. “What’s up?”

“We’re stocking stockings,” Maizey replied. “Wanna help?”

“Ha! Stocking stockings!” Gene laughed, clearly finding that much funnier than Maizey had. “Have you heard from Mike?”

Mike had mentioned vague details of where he would be to Gene and Gebra, and they knew that Maizey knew more. They weren’t prying for more information, instead, they kept checking in to see how Mike was doing. 

“I haven’t. I should text him,” Maizey pulled out her phone, frowning at it when she realized how hard it was to see through the sunglasses. 

“I have an idea!” Gene exclaimed suddenly, startling Maizey slightly. He held up a stocking with the letter U embroidered into it. “Help me find the rest of ‘You can do it’,” 

It only took them a few minutes to rearrange the stockings, and then another minute to track down someone willing to take the picture (Steven). Maizey sent it, then turned back to the other two who were still hanging the rest of the stockings. They arranged the stockings to spell out several messages including “MR BS SUX” (courtesy of Maizey), “MAYZ ROX” (courtesy of Gene), and “I LUV RF” (courtesy of Gebra who was, of course, referring to the Risky Fixin’s). They messed around with the stockings for a little longer before splitting up to do actual work.

Maizey had taken a short break from stocking the holiday flavored coffee creamer to send Mike another text when Smeech and Garce approached her. They both looked vaguely nervous, which was surprising. The only times Maizey had seen Garce nervous was when his dad was around, and she hadn’t seen Joblet or his stupid sports car anywhere recently. She smiled at the two in greeting, waiting to hear what they had to say.

“Hey, Maizey, what’s up?” Garce asked, fiddling with his uniform vest. 

“Not much,” Maizey glanced between the two of them, eyebrows raised. “What’s up with you two?” 

“Oh, well, see, Smeech and I are applying to colleges, you know, and we both need recommendation letters, so, see, we were wondering if you would write them?” Smeech was nodding along with Garce’s question; the two were wearing matching hopeful expressions. 

Maizey was speechless for a moment. The fact that they singled her out for this must mean something. “Yeah, of course I can. Are you sure you don’t want Pam or Mike to write it though?” 

Garce grinned. “Nah, the boss lady’s kinda a jerk and you know us better than Mike, and, like, you’re pretty cool, so,” He punctuated the sentence with a shrug. 

“Yeah, alright,” Maizey replied, nodding. “When do you need the letters by?”

Garce and Smeech shared a look of embarrassment before looking back at Maizey. “Well, see, some of the deadlines are December first, and so, it’d be great to have the letters by then…”

Maizey sighed and rolled her eyes. “Of course it would be. Yeah, I’ll write them, but I’m not saying that either of you have good time management skills,” 

The two smiled brightly at her. “Thanks, Maizey!” Garce exclaimed, Smeech nodding next to him.

“Yeah, whatever, now go do your work,” She waved the two of them off. They were good kids, even if they were frustrating at times. 

She took her own advice and got back to work, her day not even halfway finished. Besides interactions here and there with Gene and Gebra, her day was nigh indistinguishable from any other day at Mr. B’s. Another day stocking the shelves, another day planning job assignments, another day dealing with customers.

The afternoon ended and Gene and Gebra’s shifts ended. They left after stopping to say goodbye to Maizey, and she was now officially working the evening shift. It wasn’t much different, although once it passed 8 pm, there were fewer people coming in. She was actually able to relax a little, and start planning the rest of her week in her head. Thanksgiving was only two days away, and she was excited to spend it with Mike, Gene, and Gebra. And Ernie, if everything went well with him. She hadn’t gotten a chance to check in again with Mike, she should do that. 

She was lost in thought, restocking the clothing section and thinking about Thanksgiving, when she pulled a sweater to the side and came face to face with a short brunette who appeared to just be hanging out in the clothing rack. They blinked at each other for a moment.

“Can I... help you?” Maizey asked uncertainly. 

The girl shook her head and scurried off. Maizey stared after her for a moment, then mentally shrugged. The store got weird at night. She checked the time, and it was past 10, which meant she would be able to leave soon. She sighed and got back to work.

The final bit of the day dragged by, but soon Maizey was collecting her coat and bag and heading towards the bus stop. It was freezing, but the sky was clear and Maizey watched the stars while she waited. Today had been long, but it hadn’t been terrible. She had managed to get the next two days off, and wouldn’t be back until Black Friday. Black Friday would be its own hell to prepare for, but the break beforehand might make it manageable. 

The bus pulled up and Maizey climbed on, greeting the driver and sliding into one of the front seats. She was tired and ready to go home and sleep for twelve hours. After that, she could call Mike and harass him about his not-date with Ernie. Then she could go out and buy what she needed for her contributions to Thanksgiving--biscuits and homemade macaroni and cheese. She watched the world pass by outside the bus window and mentally planned the next few days. Logically she knew it was unlikely she would be able to do everything she wanted to get done, but for now, she was content to imagine that she would. 

A short while later she was climbing off the bus, wishing the driver a goodnight, and heading for her apartment. The streets weren’t as well lit here, and it made Maizey nervous. She shoved her hands in her coat pockets and quickened her pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible. She knew she didn’t live in the best neighborhood, but she was usually able to ignore that fact during the day. Now, when it was nearing midnight, it was harder to ignore. 

Maizey jogged the last block to her apartment and sighed in relief when she got to the building. She took the stairs and tried to get herself to relax. She was inside now, she was fine, she was-

Her apartment door was open. Maizey had locked it, she knew that. She had never left her door unlocked, let alone open, in all her years living at that apartment. Even when she would drink and leave the house already more than tipsy, she would lock the door. Closer to the door, she could also feel a cold draft from inside, meaning that her window was also open. 

Maizey took a step back, swallowing hard. She didn’t want to go in. Another step back, and then she was down the stairs and standing on the main floor by the front doors. She needed to do something… call the police? No, what if she was overreacting, what if there was some logical explanation… but there wasn’t, not one she could think of.

Before she could think better of it, her phone was out and she was nervously tapping her foot, waiting for an answer.

“Maizey?” Mike’s voice was alert, and Maizey relaxed slightly, it didn’t sound like she had woken him up.

“Hey Mike, um…” She shifted her weight uncertainly. “How fast do you think you can get here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the break, I had final papers to write, and college, unfortunately, takes priority over this fic :(  
> I hope you enjoyed! I'm on break now so the next chapter should be out soon!


	13. The Break In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maizey finds somewhere else to stay

Maizey was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase up to her apartment when Mike got there. He had been fast, less than ten minutes, and for that, Maizey was grateful. He also wasn’t alone. A tall man, taller than Maizey at least, was close behind Mike. Some part of Maizey’s brain registered that he must be Ernie Goondis, but she didn’t have time to think about what him coming with Mike meant. They both looked concerned. 

“Are you alright, Maizey?” Mike asked, offering a hand to help her up. 

She nodded and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. “Yeah, I’m okay, I just…” She glanced up the stairs, towards her apartment. “I didn't want to go in alone. God, that sounds stupid,”

“It doesn’t sound stupid,” Mike reassured. “Someone broke into your apartment, Maizey. It’s reasonable to be nervous,” 

Maizey nodded again, then looked at the man she presumed to be Ernie. “Uh, hi. I’m Maizey, by the way,”

“Mike has told me a lot about you! I’m Ernie, it’s nice to meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances, for your sake,” He offered a hand and she shook it. 

“Good to meet you, too,” She glanced up towards her apartment again. “Should we…?”

“Yes,” Mike replied. He led the way up to Maizey’s apartment, Maizey and Ernie close behind. 

They stopped outside of the door, which was still ajar. Maizey was hesitant to go in, and apparently it was clear on her face because Ernie put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. When she looked up at him, he smiled reassuringly and she actually felt better. She had barely said two sentences to him, but something about him was trustworthy. Mike glanced back at the two of them and raised his eyebrows. She nodded and he pushed open the door, stepping inside. 

Her baseball bat was still by the door, which was a relief. She grabbed it, and knowing she had something to defend herself made her feel better. Mike flipped on the light switch and Maizey swore under her breath. 

As she had suspected, the window was broken. Well, not just broken, completely shattered. Glass littered the kitchen floor, and it had clearly been broken from the outside. Whoever had gone through her apartment had gone through all her cabinets and her closet, and her belongings were strewn across the floor. She assumed that anything deemed of value had been stolen. 

“Whoever did this isn’t here anymore,” Mike said, frowning at the scene in front of them.

Maizey nodded but didn’t really pick up on what he had said. Instead of replying, she crossed the room to a small wooden box on the floor, kneeling next to it. She opened it carefully and her shoulders slumped. “My… my mom’s jewelry,” She wasn’t quite sure who she was talking to. The box had held some of what little she had left from her mother, including her wedding ring--the wedding ring from her marriage with Maizey’s father, not her step-father. Maizey had just lost another little piece of her connection to her mom.

Mike knelt next to her, and, in a rare display of affection, put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s going to be alright, Maizey,” He glanced back at Ernie, and Maizey was vaguely aware of some sort of silent conversation happening between the two before Mike helped her to her feet. “Why don’t you stay with me for a while? Ernie is staying with me, too, but I have plenty of room,” 

“Are you sure?” Maizey turned the box over in her hands, wishing that she had kept it somewhere safer. “I don’t want to intrude,” 

“I’m sure,” Mike patted her on the shoulder gently. “You can talk to your landlord about getting the window fixed tomorrow, and we can file a report with the police. For now, you need rest,” 

Maizey nodded and set the box down on her nightstand. She grabbed a duffle bag from her closet and set about finding what she would need for a few nights away. While she packed, she was vaguely aware of Mike and Ernie talking quietly, but she was too tired to care much about what they were saying. She didn’t realize that her hands were shaking until she picked up her brush. She frowned and looked up from the brush into the bathroom mirror. She looked terrible. Shaky, tired, lost, and a million other things, none of them good. Maizey tucked the brush into her bag and leaned against the sink, taking a deep breath. She just needed to get through this, it would be fine. Maybe not fine, maybe just okay. Or not even okay, maybe it would just… maybe it would just be something she lived through, like so many other things before this. That would be enough. 

“Maizey?” Mike was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, Ernie behind him, looking concerned. “Are you ready to go?” 

She cleared her throat and nodded, picking up her bag. “Yeah, let’s go,” 

Mike frowned but didn’t say anything. Instead, he led the way out of the apartment. Maizey locked the door behind them, although it wouldn’t do much good with her window shattered. They got down to the Minestrone, and Maizey climbed into the back seat, dropping her bag next to her and leaning against the window. Mike glanced back at her from the driver’s seat but didn’t say anything. 

The drive was short and it felt like only seconds before they were at Mike’s apartment. She knew it must have been longer, but she felt so disconnected from herself, from everything that had just happened that time seemed to skip. The next thing she knew, Mike was holding the door to his apartment open to let her in, while Ernie followed her, carrying her duffle bag. The sound of the door closing behind her broke her out of her daze, and she glanced around. 

“You can take the guest room,” Ernie was saying, nodding towards the room he was talking about. “I can take the couch,”

Usually, Maizey would argue, say that she would be fine on the couch, she didn’t want to take the bed from him, but tonight she just nodded. She was tired and needed some time to think, and she wasn’t sure that she would get that in the main room of Mike’s apartment. 

“Do you… do you need anything?” Mike asked uncertainly. 

“No, uh,” She pushed her hair out of her face just to have something to do with her hands. “No, I think I just need to…” She trailed off, not sure what she felt like she needed to do. She needed to sleep, she was certain of that, but there was more, more that she couldn’t pinpoint right now. So rather than finish her sentence, she just shook her head.

Ernie looked between her and Mike. “I’m going to put your bag in the guest room,” It was clear he was just trying to give them some space, and Maizey wished she knew how to tell him how much she appreciated it. 

Mike put a hand on her shoulder and guided her to sit down on the couch. “Are you okay, Maizey?” 

She nodded on reflex, then shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. There’s always been some sort of obvious next step after shit happens in my life, and this time I just… don’t know what to do,” She put her head in her hands.

Mike patted her on the shoulder, and it somehow wasn’t awkward. “I’ll be honest with you, Maizey, I don’t think there’s a set of rules for what to do at times like these,” 

“Gee, thanks,” Maizey cut in, her voice sarcastic. 

“What I’m saying,” He continued, pretending not to hear Maizey’s comment. “Is that all you can do is your best. And you aren’t alone, Maizey. I know you have been before, but you aren’t now, and there are people who care about you, who can help,” He paused. “I’m one of those people, and I hope you know that,”

“I do,” Maizey cleared her throat and smiled at Mike. “Thanks, Mike,”

“Well, I’m just doing what any good friend would do,” Mike patted her shoulder once more before removing his hand. 

“Maybe, but it doesn’t mean I can’t thank you for being a good friend,” Maizey replied, sitting up.

“You’re fighting a losing battle, there,” Mike and Maizey both looked up to see that Ernie had come back, and he was smiling at the two of them. “Michael Soup has never gracefully accepted a compliment in his life,”

“I resent that,” Mike replied, returning Ernie’s smile. 

“That doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” Ernie leaned on the back of the couch and ruffled Mike’s hair.

Mike swatted at Ernie’s hand, trying and failing to get him to stop. “I am being disrespected in my own home,”

“Shouldn’t’ve let us in, then,” Maizey said, smiling at the two of them. If Mike hadn’t told her that he and Ernie had been apart for so long, she would think that they had never separated. It was kind of sweet.

Mike finally managed to get Ernie to leave his hair alone, and stood. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to bed. I have work in the morning,” 

“Loser,” Maizey replied, also standing. 

“You do know that you would have to be there if I wasn’t, right?” Mike raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling. 

“I take it back, then, you aren’t a loser,” Maizey looked over at Ernie and silently mouthed “He is a loser,” which made Ernie snort. 

Mike glared at them both, but the smile he was trying to hold back ruined the illusion of anger. “I open my heart, my home and this is the thanks I get? Hooligans, the lot of you,”

Ernie actually laughed at that. “I forgot how much of a drama queen you are,” 

Mike shook his head, continuing the charade. “That was uncalled for, Ernesto Gordon Goondis,”

“Oh, are we using full names now, Michael Phillip Soup,” Ernie said, grinning. 

Mike moved so he was standing in front of Ernie, his shoulders were squared as if he was attempting to appear intimidating. The attempt failed miserably, mostly because Ernie was nearly a foot taller than him. Maizey watched the exchange, trying not to laugh. It was nice to see Mike so relaxed. 

Ernie grinned mischievously down at Mike, then, in one swift movement, picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman carry. “I think it’s time for bed,”

Mike made a startled noise when Ernie picked him up but didn’t really fight it. “There are better ways to do this,”

“Maybe, but this is so much funnier,” Ernie started towards the door to Mike’s room.

Mike tried to twist around so he could look at Maizey, but couldn’t quite manage it and stopped trying. “If you need anything, you know where to find me,”

“Goodnight, Mike,” Maizey called after him as Ernie opened the door to the bedroom. “Goodnight, Ernie,”

“See you in the morning!” Ernie replied cheerfully. 

Maizey shook her head and sighed. Those two were good for each other. She stretched and glanced around. Leeks was in one corner, watching her. “I bet you didn’t expect to see me here,” 

Leeks blinked.

Maizey nodded and headed to the guest room. She needed to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy.  
> im tired but here you all go. i hope you enjoy it. as usual, thank you to Illusions_and_reality for being a fantastic beta and friend!  
> also, i was hoping to have the thanksgiving chapter out on thanksgiving, but that clearly did not happen, so unless i am hit with the urge to write like, 8 chapters in the next five days, it is unlikely the christmas chapter will come on christmas, so im really sorry about that.  
> in good news, check this fic tomorrow (the 20th) for a surpise (winky face)  
> goodnight all you hooligans and thank you so much for reading this thing


	14. Interlude: Behind Closed Doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Ernie have a little more than each other on their minds, and Maizey has some trouble falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back. I was unhappy with how the first bit of this turned out and I redid the chapter so it was a little more in character and less pressure on my own mind,
> 
> I, uh, hope you enjoy!  
> -Illusions_and_reality

Ernie ending up in Mike’s bed wasn’t quite how the night was supposed to go.   
Then again, nothing about today was how anything was supposed to go. Maizey should’ve been able to go to bed fine in her own apartment, and that hadn’t happened.

Hell, if it was a normal day Mike would be alone right now.

He would be alone and asleep, kind of lonely, maybe he’d wake up earlier than necessary. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

But here they were, together again, in Mike’s bed.

It felt like they missed a step along the way, like there should’ve been more talking before this, before… before ending up in bed with each other again, even if it was just for convenience purposes.

 

It was all fine, though. Mike just needed to breathe and clear his head… or pass out. Either worked.

 

The soft sound of breathing might have been what got to Mike, or maybe it was the feeling of warmth where there was usually nothing but cold, something he knew would get too hot during the night, but he didn’t care right now. His heart beating quickly, so loud he could hear it, feel it, and he didn’t know why it was so. Everything was loud, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it made his hands shake, and that was enough to turn over, away from Ernie, and close his eyes.

He needed to sleep, he knew this far too well, and it never came easily to him. There were days where he just needed to relax, to forget, to think clearly- and he couldn’t. He didn’t know why, well, he did, but only vaguely, and it got annoying.

Days where he felt lost like a little kid, left all alone in an unfamiliar house.

Realistically, he should’ve been able to go about his day without thinking or worrying about things that didn’t affect him anymore.

And… he couldn’t, through no fault of his own.

It felt like his fault sometimes.

 

What really gets Mike to relax though, is the hand that finds his and laces their fingers together, like it isn’t a big deal, like there was never a stop, never a finish.

Maybe there wasn’t a finish, and he’d just assumed that there would’ve been because he liked to assume things, liked knowing what was going to happen.

This is something he _knows_ though, he knows Ernie (he thinks) and he likes him and he wants him around again, which sounds almost desperate.

And, to be honest, he is.

He wants to be with someone he isn’t afraid of messing anything up with, because he did that once over something big, and now he knows better, he can control himself better.

He fixed himself again.

It was unintentional, the way it happened, but he still managed it, like how he managed the thing with his home, the beginning of his job in the military, how he managed leaving the military and actually making  _his own_ choices, not ones made for him by anyone else.

That had been terrifying, and now he was here, he’d made it, scarred maybe, bruised and broken, but he was still alive and that-

That was a bit of a miracle.

So the hand in his held some weight, physically and emotionally, though he didn’t want to admit it.

He liked it, needed it, wanted it, yes, but he was hesitant.

He’d always been a little hesitant.

 

This was fine though, the hand holding, the hugging, the subtle ache in his chest that he didn’t quite know what was since there had been so many aches like this one ever since he was a child, and after a while, it became hard to remember which aches meant what.

Apparently, Ernie remembered, noticed, because he talked, quiet and almost unsure like he felt that he shouldn’t have been.

Soft. The word he was looking for was soft.

Soft in the way that it seemed to surround him like a blanket, the way the words weaved themselves together, the way they fit themselves together.

The way Mike wanted the two of them to fit together again.

“Goodnight, Mike. Sleep well.”

 

As much as Ernie wanted Mike to sleep well, and himself, it didn’t happen. He tried his best to mask what he felt, especially alone. It wasn’t as though he was ashamed, no, he was just scared, scared of what the future may hold, never knowing where to go, where to stop and take a break.   
Thirteen years. Thirteen whole years of pretending that he was okay with where he was, that he didn’t regret leaving on a bad note, that it would be okay if he just tried to forget.

This had proved to be wrong many, many times. Usually when he couldn’t try to distract himself with… anything he could find, really. Eventually just starting to make small stories, safe ones, so that he could calm down enough to work.

He knew that it wasn’t odd, that he wasn’t the only person who did this, who felt this way on a daily basis, but he was just so  _tired._

It hadn’t been easy to sleep since he was… he couldn’t remember, there was never an easy time, never a good time, so he hoped that he passed out each night, hoped that it would work. If he couldn’t do that, what could he do?

 

Sometime in the middle of the night, Ernie woke up, breathing hard and shaking, pressing his face to someone’s back, trying to collect himself, to collect his thoughts, to not make this a bigger deal than it had to be because it _wasn’t_ a big deal. It had only been a nightmare.

It was something that he had been familiar with for a long time, something he’d just accepted, not wanting to question it in fear of what might actually be behind it, what might actually be there.

It took a few minutes to remember where he was, to remember who he was with, to realize that someone had taken his hand and begun to run their thumb over his knuckles.

Right, he was with Mike. Mike who knew what happened, Mike who he knew, Mike who had remembered how to comfort him.

Had he fallen asleep? Had he been woken up by Ernie? A wave of guilt washed over him, taking a deep breath, letting it shake on its way into his lungs, focusing on the feeling of breathing, letting it take over, ignoring the fog in his head.

A quiet apology and what felt like an hour of staring up at the ceiling, and Ernie was asleep again, heart still beating fast in his chest.

 

Maizey didn’t sleep for a while after she went to bed. She was tired, yes. Exhausted mentally and physically, but sleep just wasn’t coming.

It was different from most days, where she’d sleep nearly five minutes after she put her head down and still waking up feeling just as tired as she had when she’d fallen asleep.

It was something that she had grown accustomed to, as bad as it was. The tiredness that never seemed to go away.

She wasn’t going to complain though, when she finally fell asleep, curled up on her side in an unfamiliar room that she felt safe in.

It was nice to feel safe somewhere.

 

Mike woke up to the sound of an alarm clock, jumping and covering his eyes, reaching over to turn it off only to be stopped by an arm that wasn’t his own, looking over to see what was going on just as the noise turned off.

Ernie. Sleepy, grumpy Ernie who wasn’t used to waking up at five in the morning for work. An arm got slung over his waist, memories from last night flooding his brain, trying to make sense of what was going on here, in the world around him, rolling out of bed and trying to start his day a little better.

 

In the end, Ernie did wake up. Rubbing his eyes and walking into the kitchen to try and make something for this morning, something to share.

Enough food for three people. He could do that. And if he remembered correctly, and assumed right, Mike hardly ate breakfast. This time he would.

Pulling out the ingredients for pancakes had been simple enough anyhow, fiddling with the stove as he listened to the apartment. He could hear a faint hum of electricity, and Leeks the cat purring from where he was at his feet. Simple things. Nice things. Easier things to focus on than the thoughts in his head.

Nearly five minutes later Mike had come out to join him, looking down to the ground for Leeks and picking him up, gently scratching behind his ear.

“How goes it?” He asked quietly, leaning over to see what was being done before moving to the coffee maker, starting to make a new pot.

Ernie simply shrugged in response, flipping over one of the pancakes and leaning against the counter to look at Mike, take him in for the first time since yesterday.  
He seemed simultaneously happier and sadder here, leave it to him to make that possible. His hair was longer, he held himself the same, had people he cared about again, managed to keep a pet happy and alive.

He’d made a life for himself, and Ernie really couldn’t be more proud.

Mike broke him out of his thoughts by taking the spatula out of his hands, poking at one of the pancakes and flipping it over, handing it back to him afterward and putting Leeks down.

 

In a way, they’d become strangers. Sure, they had memories together, memories of good nights and bad, quiet ones and bad ones, ones where the only time they touched was because they’d brushed by each other, rushing to get to the next thing. The next explosion. The next set of people who were so injured that they were beyond saving.

Hell, Ernie could remember holding a friend of his, holding her hand, trying to talk her through the pain, to get her to stay alive long enough for someone to get there.

She’d died not a half hour later.

Did it hurt more when the people you knew died next to you or in your arms or far away, away enough that you didn’t know it happened until someone told you?

That was still something that they were both trying to figure out.

Some people seemed like they deserved to die, but now they weren’t so sure. There were obviously people who were terrible, didn’t deserve a second chance, that made you feel sick when you so much as thought of them. And then there were others where you hesitated.

And then there were the innocent people affected by it all. That was usually what cut things, what made them feel black and white.

So as Ernie leaned against the counter, watching Mike go about his morning, seeing him so relaxed as he walked around the room, a cat on his heels, it made him think.

They’d been more affected by death than they thought they were, they knew what happened, they’d seen it firsthand. But they’d seen good things too, among it all.  
They’d seen friends and coworkers run to their loved ones as quickly as they could, holding on for dear life because _f_ _inally_ , finally, they were home again. It wouldn’t be the same, but they were home again.

They’d seen relationships form, they’d seen understanding, seen people doubt their beliefs for a moment, then shake it off.

Religion.

They’d seen a lot of that too.

There had been muttered prayers to God all around them, to different versions of God. Prayers from people who didn’t believe in God, when people were at their most frightened.

People who lost belief, because in what world would a divine being let anything like this happen?

And, perhaps most important of all, they’d seen each other.

 

At the door, Ernie managed to catch Mike before he left, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, ready to say something, ready to say goodbye, to tell him to have a good day.

And he didn’t. Pressing a kiss to Mike’s cheek and walking away, leaving him to take it how he wanted, going to clean up some of the mess he’d made in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was a fun night.


	15. How're Ya Doin', Sport?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maizey and Ernie get to spend some time together.

“Leeks, no!” An unfamiliar voice startled Maizey into consciousness. She sat up, trying to reorient herself. What time was it? The door was pushed open, spilling light into the room, and a cat jumped onto the bed, closely followed by Ernie. The events from the night before were clear in her mind once more and she flopped back onto the bed.

Ernie paused in the doorway. “Sorry, Maizey, I didn’t know Leeks could open doors,” 

“I’m usually up by now anyway, don’t worry about it,” To prove her point, Maizey climbed out of the bed.

Leeks stared at her.

Maizey stared back. 

Ernie looked between the two of them for a moment before interrupting, “I made breakfast earlier, I saved you a plate, if you want it.” 

“Oh, yeah, uh, thank you,” She replied, then forced a tired smile so she didn’t seem rude. 

“No problem,” Ernie shooed Leeks off of the bed and out the door. “I’ll see you out there.” 

Maizey nodded and started rooting through her duffle bag for a sweatshirt. It was well past her regular wake up time of 5 AM, which was a little disconcerting. She wondered if this was what people who actually got enough sleep normally felt like. She made her way out of the bedroom, feeling out of place in Mike’s apartment. It was weird, she’d known the guy for seven years and she could still only imagine him in the context of the store. He must have hobbies and a life, but up until recently, he had just been Assistant Manager Mike. That wasn’t entirely true, she’d known they both liked the same kinds of books and that he liked podcasts, but it was still superficial. She hadn’t even known he was in the military until a month prior, and true, he didn’t talk much about himself, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it was her fault, if she should pay more attention to the people around her. 

“I hope you don’t mind pancakes,” Ernie’s voice broke through her thoughts and she turned her attention to him.

“Not at all,” She took the plate he offered with a smile. “Thanks for making breakfast.”

“I like cooking,” He replied, grabbing a washcloth and starting to wipe down the counter. “Anyways, I don’t think Mike eats breakfast unless someone else makes it.” 

“I think he eats a granola bar sometimes,” Maizey felt the odd need to defend Mike, though she knew Ernie just cared about his health. 

“If you think that counts as a full breakfast, then you’re more like Mike Soup than is healthy for anyone, even Mike Soup.”

She tried to look offended, but her mouth was full, which ruined the effect. 

Ernie chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that, I’ve known--I knew Mike for eight years.”

“You’ve only got one year on me,” She replied, shoving a quarter of a pancake into her mouth.

“Slow down, you’ll choke,” He started moving dishes into the sink and rinsing them while they talked. “Are you sure you and Mike aren’t related?”

Maizey glanced down at herself, as if checking that she hadn’t morphed into a Mike Soup look-alike overnight. “Not totally sure if you mean that as an insult or a compliment.” 

He shrugged, “Mike is a good man. That doesn’t mean he’s not an idiot.” 

“You just found a roundabout way to call me an idiot,” Maizey shoved another quarter of a pancake in her mouth as if to prove something. What, she wasn’t sure.

“I would never,” Ernie put a hand to his heart, feigning betrayal. “Who do you think I am?”

Maizey rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t know, we met last night.”

“I should introduce myself then,” He dried his hands and leaned on the counter opposite Maizey. “I’m Ernesto Gordon Goondis, but my friends call me Ernie, and that includes you. I lived in Boston until recently and worked as a lawyer, once again, until recently. I made the slightly reckless decision to pick up my life and move here on the hope that my old… friend, Mike, would let me crash with him for a while.”

“And that certainly worked out for you,” Maizey pointed out, setting her fork down on the now empty plate. 

“You’re right!” Ernie grinned and straightened. “What about you?”

“What about me?” She stood and stretched before moving her plate to the dishwasher. 

“I told you who I am, it’s your turn.”

Maizey considered the question for a moment before sighing. “I’m Margaret May Masara, I go by Maizey. And… no one really knows my first name is actually Margaret so, I’d appreciate it if that was between us.”

Ernie mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key, and Maizey couldn’t help but smile.

“I work as a floor supervisor at Mr. B’s and I have for twelve years. I… have an almost Associates in Business, uh, there’s really not much to tell.” 

“I’m sure there’s more than that,” Ernie replied, studying her.

“Nope, I’m just Maizey Masara, Mr. B’s least effective floor supervisor,” She shrugged. “Not everyone has an interesting story.” 

Ernie stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking, then nodded. “Well, we should get ready to go.”

Maizey was startled by the abrupt change in subject, “Go?” 

“To report the break-in at your apartment,” He was already halfway back to his and Mike’s now shared bedroom. “Unless you weren’t planning on reporting it?” 

“I doubt they’ll be much help, but can’t hurt I guess,” Maizey replied heading back towards the guest room. 

“That’s the spirit!” Ernie cheered.

Maizey decided that Ernie had far too much optimism. 

The stop at the police station was as uneventful as it could be. She gave her statement to a tired-looking officer who filed it and said they’d look into it. After speaking to a few more people, they were done, and Maizey was pretty sure she was never seeing any of her stuff again. 

Maizey stepped out of the police station into the cold air, hands shoved in her pockets and shoulders hunched. She could hear Ernie right behind her, knew she should thank him for holding the door, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. This whole thing felt like the universe punishing her for having the nerve to think she could be happy, and while she knew she was far from important enough for the universe to hate her, personally, she couldn’t shake the feeling. 

“You doin’ alright there?” Ernie’s voice broke through her thoughts and she shrugged. 

“I didn’t expect them to be helpful or anything,” She began, then stopped. 

“But you still had a little hope,” He finished for her, then continued before she could protest, “It’s not bad to have hope, Maizey.”

Maizey grumbled something under her breath as she quickened her pace, then raised her voice enough for Ernie to be able to hear her. “You say that, but if I didn’t at least I wouldn’t have the rug pulled out from under me every five minutes.” 

“It won’t always be bad—”

“That’s easy to say when you don’t get served a shit sandwich every day like clockwork!” To her embarrassment, her face was heating up and tears were starting to make her vision blurry. “Goddammit,” She stopped and rubbed at her eyes, doing her best to dispel the threat of tears, then looked back at Ernie with a forced smile. “I’m sorry, I’m fine, I’ll get over it.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Maizey began walking again, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“Maizey,” Ernie tried to match her pace, but she sped up. “Maizey!” He grabbed her shoulder and she stopped, but didn’t turn around. The hand on her shoulder loosened and he moved so he was standing in front of her. “You have every right to be upset about this, be pissed off and yell and… and egg the police station, though as a lawyer I shouldn’t be encouraging that. My point is, you can get mad or be sad or anything, just don’t… don’t close yourself off. Emotion can be put to good use, all you do when you pretend to be fine is isolate yourself and, pardon my language, screw yourself in the long run.” 

“What’s the point?” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. “If it’s not getting any better, there’s no reason to be open, and honest, it just drags other people down with me.” 

“The point is that it is going to get better,” He said it with conviction, like he was stating a fact, not a vague hope she’d tried to believe time and time again. “It really is, Maizey, and being open just makes the road to better easier.”

He said it like he believed it. Maizey desperately wanted to believe it, too. 

She nodded, and although she had only known him for a day, Maizey let Ernie pull her into a hug, let herself feel what she was feeling, if just for a moment. The next thing she knew, tears were beginning to slide down her face, and she pulled back, embarrassed, ready to apologize and go back to walking, ignore everything that had happened, but Ernie didn't let go, so she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"It's okay to feel things," He said it softly. "It's better to be emotional than to repress." 

Maizey sniffled, trying to get her tears under control. "You say that like you have experience."

Ernie didn't reply for a moment and Maizey was afraid she had overstepped. "I do. But I have more experience in watching someone else repress his emotions until it nearly broke him." 

Maizey didn't have to ask who that someone was. 

"It's going to be okay, Maizey," Ernie continued after a moment. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but it will be."

Maizey pulled back slightly and wiped her eyes. “How is it that I’ve known you for, what, 48 hours? And you’re already delivering life-changing speeches.”

“You just met me at the right time. Usually I’m the one getting the life-changing speeches,” He smiled down at her, then produced a kleenex from who-knows-where and passed it to her. 

“I find that hard to believe,” Maizey took the tissue and wiped her face. 

“You’re right, I’m always a beacon of knowledge,” He shook his head, still smiling. “I just happen to have a little more life experience than you, and if I can pass some of that hard-earned wisdom on, I will.”

“I-” Maizey was about to say something sarcastic, but cut herself off. “Thanks.” 

“Anytime, kid,” Ernie punched her shoulder gently and she snorted. 

“Oh my god, I’m in third grade again. What’s next, you call me sport and take me out for ice cream after the big game?” 

“I was trying to be nice!” He replied, voice full of feigned offense. 

“Sure, dad,” She grinned, shaking her head, and started back toward the apartment, slower now, hands tucked loosely in her pockets. 

“I’m never giving you advice again,” Ernie couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice, and he jogged a few steps to catch up with her before falling into step beside her.

“Somehow I doubt that,” She felt lighter, a little better about the coming days. So the universe might hate her a little, who cared? She had friends. That was certainly worth something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks! It has been a hot second (7 months since the last actual chapter? Haha... yeah... my excuse is nothing). A LOT has happened in my life! My hair is blue now! I go by a new name (Arcy)! I'm dating three wonderful people! But NONE of that impacts this story (it actually does there will probably be a lot of love in it because I'm gay and I say so). 
> 
> If any of this is out of character, I don't care! They're mine now!! Fight me, Shane! (please don't sue me I know I don't actually own them but if you're looking for someone to finish the Hotdaga....)
> 
> Special thanks to my beta reader and close good friend Illusions_and_reality for putting up with me for the last 7 months and my... just not writing, and gently encouraging me when needed. And of course for checking my grammar!
> 
> Another special thanks to the commenter "Hewwo" because your comment is what reminded me that people really do like this story and that's what got me to open the doc again, so like, for real, thank you. 
> 
> Anyways, that's all for now! See you in 7 months! I'm kidding... hopefully. If you wanna reach me outside of this fic I'm thehotdagaisatruemasterpiece and taterlordinc on tumblr. See ya next time!


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